It All Falls Down
by PinataParty
Summary: Veronica Mars has been working for the FBI for five years, she left Neptune and everything else she knew behind her upon graduation and never looked back. A dark secret blows her new life apart and sends her back to Neptune with her partner Piper who also appears to be holding something back. Veronica needs to confront her past in order to make sense of the present. -FINISHED-
1. Monster

**Author's Note:** I don't own any of this, if I did the show would never have been cancelled. Anyway, I know everyone hates OC content, but I'm using her as a plot device and not a romantic fantasy. Okay, maybe a little bit, but mostly plot device. Something has to start off the series of events I've been concocting.

**Chapter 1: Monster**

It was two in the morning when she got the call. Veronica pulled the pillow down over her ears and tried to ignore it, but the phone just rang again. Calling twice? On her only day off this week? 'This must be awfully important', she thought to herself and slid her thumb along the screen to answer the call.

"Hello?" she groaned into the phone.

"Mars, we need you on fifth and Lawrence over in Montauk immediately, fast as you can get here." It was her boss, Rodney.

"Do you have any idea wha-"

"It's the Marina Mangler. We think we got him, but...just get down here." He sounded grave, his voice was heavy. Something was very wrong.

Veronica was suddenly awake, her adrenaline had got her moving, "Uh, yeah. Sure. I'll be right there, should I get my partner to-?"

"Piper's already here. She wanted me to let you sleep, but I wouldn't call if it weren't urgent." That was weird, normally Piper was the first person to call her if something broke in a case like

By the time Veronica was showered and out the door, her phone was already buzzing again. This time it was Piper, her partner. It was almost strange how close she had become with Piper, the woman was harsh and blunt, but there was a certain charm to that. They lived in the same building and commuted together, roommates before they could afford to live on their own. Veronica had broached the subject to Piper months back.

"Piper, I love you. But I am also a twenty-six year old woman in New York City who wants to occasionally have her boyfriend for sleepovers that don't end with you making us breakfast," Piper had been relieved.

"Oh thank God you brought it up. I like being your roommate, but I have secret Piper stuff I want to do and you're always around, it's kind of annoying." And so they had decided to move out into their own places. In the same building. With keys to each other's place. Piper still occasionally cooked Josh and Veronica breakfast.

"Hey Pipes, what's going on?" She pressed the elevator button a few times as though it might have some effect on the elevator's speed, "Rod won't tell me anything."

"Just get down here, Veronica. I told him I'd tell you to hustle so this is me telling you: Hustle." Piper ended the call.

Veronica jogged to her car and pulled the portable siren from the glove box, affixing it to the roof of the Mustang. A sense of urgency built in her chest, like something awful was about to happen and Veronica was powerless to stop it. Her foot was like lead on the gas pedal as she moved through the streets of New York, out of the city as quick as she could and towards lake country in Montauk. She distracted herself by remembering her first few weeks with the FBI and how apprehensive she had been when they gave Veronica her first partner assignment. 'This is the moment,' Veronica remembered feeling, 'this is the moment I become an FBI agent.'

Rodney had provided her a file with all of Piper's information on it and Veronica had to stop herself from running to her new desk adjoining her new partner and two other agents. When Veronica had found her new digs, the desk next to hers was empty except for a small cactus and a bland office calendar. She had missed meeting her partner at their desk. One of the agents across from them in the four-desk cube had turned around and watched her, smiling slightly. He was attractive, fit, short dirty blond hair carefully styled to look like he didn't care what she thought of him. Veronica tried to pretend he wasn't looking at her, but found her eyes wandered over to him so she could get a better look. His eyes were bright green, distinct, crisp, clear, the color of cut grass.

He got up and held out a hand to her, "You must be Veronica, Piper's new partner?"

She nodded, strangely nervous where she was normally comfortable. Why did she suddenly feel like she was in high school again?

He let out a slight nervous laugh, obviously the feeling was mutual, "I'm Josh Monroe, I work Intelligence with Brody here." Josh kicked the chair of another agent she hadn't noticed, dark-skinned and buried into a file on his computer. Brody waved a hand without turning around or saying anything, Josh sighed, "He's sometimes more fun than I think I can handle."

"Man, those plastic monkeys in a barrel are too much for your tiny brain to handle." Brody laughed and Josh shoved his chair. Veronica smiled and extended her hand for Josh to shake, "Hi, it's my first assignment to a partner. Do any of you even know where Piper is?"Both of them shrugged, Josh shook his head, "No. But she does that sometimes, this disappearing thing. When I'm feeling particularly dramatic I call her the Lone Wolf so she feels like a badass."

Veronica crossed her fingers, "Please tell me she has that phrase tattooed somewhere."

The sudden sound of a bag hitting the desk made her jump and she turned around quickly. Josh gave the person behind her a small two-fingered salute, "O captain, my captain."The woman in front of her was taller than Veronica by a few inches, more filled out and curvy in the way a woman gets when she spends more time in the gym than at home. Her hair was long and a reddish brown that almost qualified as ginger, but was missing some crucial spectrum that would've made her officially a redhead. The woman's eyes were a blue so pale they were almost gray and they were fixed on Josh when a small smirk crept onto her face, "That phrase literally doesn't even apply here. I'm guessing that wasn't part of the only book you read in high school?"

Now she turned her attention to Veronica and looked her up and down. Piper was still wearing gym clothes and managed to make it look almost in dress code, Veronica had made sure to dress sharply in black slacks and a matching blazer, a bright green blouse underneath. She still made Veronica feel under dressed, "You are Veronica," it was a statement of fact like she had known the whole time, "I'm Piper."

Veronica shook the hand she extended, "I hope you don't mind, I'm really excited to finally get my first partnership assignment." 'I hope you don't mind? Don't mind what? My profusely sweaty hand?' Veronica kicked herself internally, that was not a good first impression.

"Partners aren't temporary, we're probably going to be together for a long time. Think of it as the most horrible relationship of your life that doesn't involve boys," Piper hesitated, "Or…girls?"

"Boys." Veronica smiled and nodded slowly, "Definitely boys. Too many boys sometimes…"

"Well not anymore. Welcome to the FBI where family doesn't matter and all the rules are made up." Piper pulled some clothes and her badge from the gym bag and left the cubicle to change.

Josh sighed again, "I swear she's really kind of cool, she can just be a little tough to adapt to. Piper doesn't expect you to like her at first."

He had been right, Veronica thought Piper was blunt and abrasive. Nothing was ever diplomatic with Piper, if she hated someone she wouldn't keep that from them. It made it difficult sometimes because in the beginning they had both held some enmity towards one another, especially in the field where Veronica was observant and detail-oriented and Piper was all action. It was a very good cop bad cop relationship.

Their first investigation had been a touchy one, they were investigating a child slavery ring in Syracuse. Piper had told Veronica to stay in the car despite Veronica protesting, "You aren't my superior, you're my partner. You can't make me stay in this car and I'm sure as hell not going to let you, this is my case, too, you know."

Piper scowled, "Just trust me, please, and stay in the car. Just for like five minutes. I promise I have a plan."

"If I trusted anybody I wouldn't have joined the FBI."

Piper scowled, "Just trust me, please, and stay in the car. Just for like five minutes. I promise I have a plan."

So Veronica had stayed in the car. At least she had only planned to stay in the car for a few minutes. Then she saw it, the shipping truck bringing produce to the front of the store. There were three guys in the cab and two holding the rails at the back, they all surrounded the back while one man opened up the cargo. 'That's an awfully large group to deliver produce,' Veronica had thought.

She reached into the back and rifled through one of the bags, pulling her camera out and resting it on the dash of the car. She slouched down to try and be invisible, not hard for a little blond girl. Then the weird part happened: cases of produce were being brought out _to_ the truck, not the other way around. Veronica's finger was on the shutter and she started snapping photos. She could have sworn on her life from one of the large holes in the side she saw a finger wiggling out in her direction.

Years of private investigator training kept Veronica in the car taking pictures, but she was snapping them faster now, getting faces and zooming in on the holes in the sides where in her mind she saw eyes or hair or palms. Panic filled her chest, they had to do something. There was no way Piper wasn't going to bust the truck and get them out, they were children.

The door to the car opened and Veronica almost screamed, but Piper buckled her seatbelt and looked over at Veronica crouched down with the camera against the dash. Piper looked at her seriously, "Did you see anything?"

"Why didn't you just TELL me about this part? What about not telling me made this more effective?" Veronica was annoyed that Piper had kept information from her.

"Veronica, tell you about what part?" Then it dawned on Veronica. Piper hadn't been completely sure how they were smuggling the children out of the building. She had deliberately left Veronica there to find something to prove it.

"They're getting the kids out in the produce boxes. They load them right into the truck. How did you not know that?"

"I did," Piper looked up at the store, "But they know my face, they know who I am. They don't load anything when I'm within three miles and I haven't been able to prove it. They don't know who you are, though. They wanted to move the boxes as soon as I parked the car, so they waited until I went inside to do it. I've been solo on this case for a month, they didn't expect me to have a partner. It's kind of a rudimentary operation, they're pretty scrub in the spectrum of criminal masterminds."

Veronica looked back at the truck, "Are we just going to let it leave?"

Piper nodded, "We have to," Veronica opened her mouth to protest but Piper cut her off, "If we don't let them go, the random checkpoint between here and Florida won't be able to catch them." She smiled at Veronica, Veronica smiled back. That was it, their first case. Open andshut.

The police cars and undercover FBI vehicles had formed a barrier around a corner of the block, officers poured around the vehicles and the run-down building with nosy neighbors congealing around the edges to get a better look. Veronica slammed the door and took wide, fast steps up to the tape, flashing her badge unconsciously at the officer starting to protest. Piper trotted up to her quickly, her eyes wide and eyebrows knit together in worry. Something was definitely wrong, Piper never worried.

"Veronica. Come here," Piper grabbed her and pulled her into a hard hug, "I am so, so sorry."

"Sorry? What are you sorry about, Pipe?" Veronica pushed her back, confused.

Rodney, their heavy set supervisor, walked up to her slowly and laid a heavy hand on her shoulder. His eyes were full of concern, "Veronica I need you to prepare yourself for some things. We managed to follow your lead and it...panned out well for us. There's just something you need to know," Rod and Piper exchanged looks, "about the Marina Mangler."

Oh yeah, her lead. Veronica had almost forgotten her theory that the Mangler is a random target serial killer with a catch: He always used marina yachts over a million dollars. It had been small, but it was better than what they had before. Veronica's best guess was that the killer had lived close to these yachts or worked close to them, dragging a body around wasn't easy so he probably wasn't far from the marinas where these super expensive boats were docked. The deaths, when charted out and connected on a very fancy and state-of-the-art cork board with some red string intersected all in the same area. It had been easy from there, interviewing residents within five miles from the most high-end marinas and waiting for someone to come forward. The whole thing had almost fallen through until the other night when a marina worker phoned her to tell her he saw someone lugging a heavy duffel bag into a vacant apartment building. It hadn't been a lot, but Veronica had told Rod and they set up some guys down town.

Apparently, it had been enough. "You do realize you are both scaring me far more than any serial killer has managed to do? What, is it my dad or something?" She hesitated, "Please don't say it's my dad. He's still in California and last I checked that was nowhere near New York."

"It's Josh. The Marina Mangler is Josh," There was the Piper Veronica knew and loved, all blunt expose and no sugar to swallow the bitter pill of reality with. It didn't sink in the first time so Veronica asked her to repeat herself.

Josh? It couldn't be Josh. They had just had dinner with Piper two days ago, at a little Thai restaurant that Josh loved by the marina. Veronica had just kissed him goodbye and told him to enjoy his shift not even six hours ago. She had probably misheard Piper or something.

Piper sighed sadly, "The guy that's been kidnapping working women and hacking them up and leaving them fancy boats is Josh. He tried to run, V, you know what we've got to do when they do that." Piper nodded her head towards the Deputy sitting in an ambulance, mug of tea in hand and itchy looking blanket around his shoulders.

There it was, plain as day right in front of her face. Veronica's boyfriend of two years and fellow FBI investigator was the brutal and ruthless killer of working class women from her nightmares, the one who had eluded Veronica and Piper and their team for almost a year. Half their relationship. Half of it had been a lie.

Josh and Veronica had started dating after three months into her new partnership assignment, he had made it very clear he liked her and intended to have dinner with her, mostly by telling her things like, "I intend to take you out to dinner sometime."

Veronica had a hard time with relationships, they weren't something she went into lightly. It seemed every man in her life except for one had never understood why she did the things that she did. Wallace was supportive and helped her out without complaint, but he expected it to end at some point and couldn't understand when it didn't. Piz had tried to encourage her to do what she loved, but he never understood why it had to involve putting herself in danger all the

Piz. She had broken up with him just before they graduated from Hearst, both of them had felt the pull of life in different directions. Veronica had tried to be gentle, but she wasn't very good at gentle let downs. Piz took it hard, but he understood. He had been feeling like a passer-by in her life, someone there when she needed them but not the other way around. There were things they never talked about that had built up too big to be dismantled without toppling everything, starting with Logan beating up Gorya in the food court Freshman year. That had been the catalyst, they had slowly started omitting things from one another even though Veronica hadn't spoken to Logan since that day. It was a vicious cycle.

Logan wasn't something she allowed herself to think about. It made her feel like she would collapse internally if she thought about things too much. Veronica had long since over-analyzed her flaws and how she had broken their relationship, thinking about it any longer would make her regret every decision that brought her here.

Josh had been different, he had understood her drive to chase the bad guys and background check everyone in her life. Though Veronica was now doing it on a national scale and looking for bigger things than dog-nappers and stolen cars, she still couldn't shake the rush she got every time she and Piper stormed a place or led a bust into a building. All of the research and painstaking hours of tailing people was what drove her, she lived on it. Josh had understood that.

When Veronica finally let him take her out to dinner they had meshed perfectly, he always wanted to hear about her cases and all of the things she had done in her high school and college P.I. days. Josh had encouraged her to pursue the bad guy, something everyone before that had tried to stop her from doing. That was it, after that date it was on. They were always together, always having lunch, always in the break room. Josh gave Veronica a high she hadn't felt in a long time, being with him made her feel like herself. Nothing was off-limits with him, except apparently his deviant propensity to chop up working women and hang their body parts like holiday decorations on multi-million dollar yachts.

Veronica's knees felt weak underneath her, unable to support her weight. She kept walking, more like stumbling forwards with carefully calculated propulsion, until they brought out the gurney with the black bagged body strapped down to it. Someone let out a cry, was it her? Veronica didn't remember falling to her knees, she just felt herself dry-heaving and a hand on her back. Piper crouched beside her and let her vomit onto the pavement. What was that about dry-heaving being the new Mace? Piper just didn't know when to take no for an answer. An ironic smirk twitched at her lips for a second before she threw up again, spitting on the ground before trying to stand up. She was shaking even in low heels, eventually kicking them off all together before trying to get on her feet again. Piper's hands were on her, steadying her as she got up. Veronica collapsed against her friend and felt the grief flood over her in waves, her body started to shake with sobs and she heard herself saying "No, no, no." over and over into the lapel of Piper's blazer.

It was after dawn when Piper led Veronica inside her apartment and put her to bed, it was after three when she finally woke up to the smell of Indian food. Veronica straggled into the living room, puffy eyed with a bad taste in her mouth, to see Piper sitting curled on her couch in a pair of sweat pants and a tank top shoveling yellow rice and chicken tikka into her mouth. Piper looked up and dropped the plate onto the coffee table, shoving her hair behind her ears and standing up quickly. She sprinted to Veronica and wrapped her arms around her, holding her for a moment before mumbling into her tousled blond hair.

"I'm not really sure how you console your only friend after her boyfriend is exposed as a mass murderer. Is there a card or something I get you?"

Despite herself, Veronica laughed, "Probably not. Maybe a Precious Moments figurine?"

Piper laughed and let her go, "Come on, I've got some curry and jasmine rice with your name plastered all over it. Rod cancelled anything we had to do today, whatever that means to him, and I rented all eight Harry Potter movies."

"Is this a break up or a 'Your boyfriend is a murderer' pity party?"

Piper glanced up at the ceiling, "I have no idea."

-

It was a week before Veronica went back to the office, four days without Piper's constant attention and endless supply of take-out. She straightened her blouse out nervously and fidgeted with the chain on her badge, jumping when the doors opened. Taking a deep breath, Veronica stepped out into the hallway and saw it. The beginning of the end. Heads turned towards her with sympathetic smiles, some scowls sprinkled here and there despite her being cleared of any foreknowledge of the murders.

"She's your coworker, not a circus bear. Don't you have bad guys to catch?!" Piper's voice sounded sharp and clear, people jumped and everyone looked down suddenly very busy. She stood crossly, arms folded over her chest and eyes steely as she scanned the crowd. The thin frown on Piper's face broke into a smile and she gave Veronica a small wave, which Veronica returned reluctantly. Great, now she wasn't just an emotional wreck but also a circus attraction.

Veronica shook her hair over her shoulder and straightened up, marching confidently down the hallway into the conference room. It wasn't full, just full of everyone Veronica didn't want to see that early on her first day back. Rod waved her into the conference room and held her seat for her, suddenly determined to be a gentleman now that his lead Intelligence Specialist was a mass murderer and his Special Agent girlfriend was done grieving. She accepted it, not feeling up for a fight. Everyone sitting on the other side of the table was her ranking officer or in Human Resources - yes the FBI had Human Resources - and on Veronica's side was a psychologist, Miranda, she knew well and of course Piper. Rod cleared his throat and folded his

"Veronica, this meeting isn't just a welcome wagon."

"Shut up, it isn't?" she gasped sarcastically and smiled at Rod, "Well then I should tell the ladies up front to put that cake back in the break room."

He cleared his throat again, "We want you to take a leave of absence, leave New York for a while and take some time with your family. Go spend a few months on the beach away from all of this."

Veronica sat forward and stared at him, shocked, "What? For how long?" She shouldn't have been shocked and she knew that, this was something Veronica had anticipated enough that she was picking out clothes for the trip home.

"Until the case is closed and the trial is over."

"Rod, that could be months!"

"I know," he held up his hand to silence her, "but this isn't really a negotiation. You don't need all of this Veronica, you need to be with the people you love." He leaned forwards some more and stared at her meaningfully, "You need to take some time in the sunshine. Get out of here for a bit."

Veronica started to protest until her Chief spoke up, "Non negotiable. Paid leave, of course, but there isn't an option for you to say no."

She stared at the table, mouth open and looked at Piper for support. The woman shrugged and tilted her head in an 'I don't know what you want me to say' way that she always did on the rare occasion that she didn't want to fight. It meant Piper thought the Chief and Rod were right.

Rodney glanced at Piper and back to Veronica, "And Piper is opting to take a leave of absence as well, she wants to chase you back to California for a while. I'm not really sure why she's going, too, her reasoning is weak and I think she just doesn't want to work with someone new."

"I can't work with someone new," Piper interjected, "That's like trying to split up a pair of lungs. It's doable, but it's a really shitty thing to do if nobody's sick."

Rod stared at her for a moment and Veronica covered her mouth to hide her smile, "Get out of my sight. Don't work, don't talk to anyone working the case, stay out of my hair. I'll make sure you have a job when you come back."

Veronica sat back and crossed her arms scowling, "This is ridiculous. I don't need a leave of absence, I need to take my mind off of this. Like with a case. Now."

Rod shook his head, "No, Veronica. You have to take time off. Non-negotiable."

She slammed her palms down on the table and got to her feet, leaning in close as she pointed her finger at each of the four persons sitting across from her, "This? This is ridiculous."

Veronica turned towards the door and walked towards the elevator. Piper caught up to herand just walked next to her into the elevator, hitting the button and looking at her for a few moments, "Don't be mad at them. They're doing what they have to do, not that I knew there was even a protocol for these things. I think they're kind of just making shit up as they go."

Veronica nodded, "I probably created a whole new chapter in their rulebook," she gave a small victorious fist pump, "Veronica Mars, making history at the FBI."

Piper smiled and looked down at her shoes, "I'm taking time off for some personal stuff, too. Just not as intense as yours."

Veronica looked at her interested, "Personal stuff." she raised an eyebrow, "In Neptune? What personal stuff?"

"Not Neptune exactly, but close enough to go with you if you need me to." Piper had avoided the question and Veronica noticed, but she didn't push.

Veronica nodded and stared at the ground. They both got off the elevator and headed back to their building in silence, it was the silence that made Veronica wonder about Piper's "personal stuff". Piper was born and raised in San Diego, it could be anything for all Veronica knew. That was when Veronica realized she was making Piper's business her new distraction, but didn't try to stop herself. She needed this, she needed to escape into someone else's problems. Maybe going home wasn't such a bad idea.


	2. Everlasting Light

**Author's Note:**I wrote out 3 chapters all at once, if it isn't good or doesn't go over well concept-wise I will probably dump it. Let me know if it's worth my time to keep it going.

**Chapter 2: Everlasting Light**

Veronica held the phone up to her ear and waited while it rang. This was an uncomfortable moment when it shouldn't have been, Veronica didn't know why she was so nervous when it was just her dad. Maybe it was the stress finally getting to her.

"Veronica? Is everything all right?" Keith asked immediately when he picked up.

"What? Oh. Yeah, dad, everything's great. I've just decided to take some time off for a while and come home, get my mind off...everything going on up here." It felt like a lie. It probably was.

"I don't think that's such a bad idea. How long are you staying this time?" He didn't press her to talk about it, he never did. If Veronica wanted to talk, she would. The acknowledgement made her feel guiltier.

She smiled, "I'm not sure, probably six months or so. My partner, Piper, she's taking some time to figure some stuff out, too, and I guess California is a-calling for all of us in New York," Veronica scrunched up her face, "Too much snow finally got to me."

She could sense Keith smiling on the other end, "All right, honey. I'm happy to pick you up. E-mail me your flight details and I'll be there."

"No dad, it's okay. We rented a car. I just wanted to let you know I'm coming home is all, no surprises just like I promised," Veronica could feel in her bones like she was somehow lying to her father by not telling him about Josh. Keith had liked Josh when he came to New York to visit, Josh had been a sparkling charismatic young man who knew exactly what to say. Maybe she should have noticed it then, in the way he so easily spoke to people and fluidly convinced everyone to his side. Veronica pushed that thought out of her head, intellectually she knew there was no way she could have known what he was doing on his emergency night calls. He had always had an alibi, someone had seen him at a crime scene, he had a receipt he was annoyed over with the time stamp, Brody had talked to him on the phone. Josh had been impeccable, so smart with his work it was impossible to have considered him a suspect.

"You always have a room here Veronica, as long as you need it. I'm glad you're coming home, everyone here will be excited," he sounded tired. She let him go and walked out onto her balcony, curling up on one of the patio chairs and letting herself cry.

Back in her own living room, Piper sat on the floor staring at photographs from the crime scenes Josh Monroe aka The Marina Mangler had constructed. It was grisly stuff, body parts arranged in famous movie scenes or just strung around like decorations. She grimaced and felt a little sick, just the other night Piper and her friend Alex had dinner with Veronica and Josh. They had been talking about moving in together.

'I suppose that's why he was so against living with her,' Piper thought. She gathered some of the photos and put them back in the filing box, stacking it with the others next to her sofa.

The other photos were unrelated, photos of a man and a woman having dinner from far away, exchanging envelopes, talking to two other individuals hard to make out in a hotel room. Piper stared at these photos and took a drink from her glass of whiskey. She set it back down, got up, and went to bed.

Whatever was waiting for her in San Diego wasn't the caliber of thing she could talk to Veronica about, nor was it something she wanted the FBI meddling in either, no. This was something

Piper needed to handle on her own.

It was too early for Piper to be at the airport, but Veronica seemed energized by the whole experience, "This is surreal, going home after all this time."

"Yeah, brings back memories of flying home for Thanksgiving in college," Piper made a face at her coffee, "Except I have to say there was much less murder and intrigue at my family's holiday celebrations." She pulled a small flask from her jacket pocket and tipped it into her coffee, doing the same to Veronica's when she wasn't looking. A TSA agent came towards them, but Piper just flashed her badge and the woman backed off. Piper hated flying more than anything, being drunk before, during, and a little after the flight was usually the only way she ever made it onto a plane.

"That's because your family is doing holidays entirely wrong. A holiday without murder is nary a holiday at all," Veronica smiled at the glass ceiling in the main food court and took a sip of her coffee immediately narrowing her eyes at Piper before extending the cup to her for more. Veronica hated flying, too, just not to the same vicious degree Piper did.

They boarded their plane and passed time playing profiling games, they got worse as they drank more.

"Sh, sh, no. This guy? Look at him, definitely a kidnapper. His suit is," Piper held her hand up dramatically and wiggled her fingers, "suspiciously clean. Like someone hiding something."

"So people who are clean are hiding things?" Veronica poured the rest of the mini vodka bottle into her plastic cup, "Josh was a slob, but I guess that showed in his work."

Piper pouted and poured her rum into her coke, "Now you just made this whole thing sad."

"Veronica Buzzkill strikes again!" she raised her glass and Piper toasted her again.

Piper laughed, "Hey, do you remember that time when we were out on the town with Josh and Brody and that one weird guy nobody knew?

Veronica recalled the somewhat hazy night of pub crawling and laughed with her. They had been bar hopping for St. Patrick's Day and had found a group of college kids singing Irish drinking songs. Piper snatched a green top hat from one of them and climbed the bar to join in, she hauled Veronica up with her. Somehow, the can-can became a good idea and they had half the bar dancing with their arms around one another. When they left, they had picked up a straggler who was now becoming part of their group and new best friend, according to drunk logic. Nobody remembered him or knew where he came from, they just remember him ripping his shirt kind of and running off into one of the fountains screaming the speech from Braveheart.

"And then the cops picked him up and he told them he was covered in soap and could get away," Piper said through violent laughs, "And when he tried they just cuffed him to a bike rack and waited for crime scene cleanup to come get the slippery crap off of him!"

They laughed about it some more, Veronica had tears in her eyes remembering watching a half-naked man get called a bio hazard and hosed down because he had covered himself in soap flakes before coming down town to drink, "Really the guy should be commended for his planning skills, that's got to be something new." She laughed.

They swapped funny stories about their late nights working, the time Piper covered Rodney's office in Nicholas Cage pictures or Veronica filled their cubicle with balloons. Veronica reminded Piper about last Christmas when Piper had hidden fake owls all over Veronica's tree that would hoot when they sensed movement, it had driven her crazy for weeks before she found them sitting deep in the branches, "I couldn't even believe it when I found them. I literally almost lit a file box on fire because I got so scared and dropped it right next to the stove one of those nights!"

Piper smiled and drained her cup, shaking it at the flight attendant for another. It was good to see Veronica smiling again, California sunshine was definitely going to be the cure.

They landed at the San Diego Airport and collected their bags, Piper pulled her sunglasses from her purse and slid them on with a groan, "Maybe six drinks wasn't such a good idea."

Veronica frowned and did the same, "Maybe not. But it was nice having a drink and not being worried if it's laced with GHB." The dark comment about her past made them both chuckle again.

Piper went to the rental desk and let the woman lead them outside, a white Chevy Spark was waiting for them and Veronica stared at it, "Did we rent a car or did we rent an Easy Bake Oven?"

Piper cocked her head at the vehicle and unlocked it, "If we make it to Neptune, it's a car. If we turn into cupcakes, it's an oven."

They loaded their things into the trunk and made the two hour journey into Neptune, Piper pulled up to the apartment complex Veronica had always called home and parked the car. Veronica didn't immediately get out, she just stared at the building for a while and put her sunglasses on her head. It was weird coming back after all this time, she hadn't made a single journey back to Neptune since she officially started with the FBI. After graduation it was two year probation and training, the one year of shadowing, and finally the official assignment. She had taken advantage of the time off after the probation segment of her FBI journey, but not since then. Three years without coming home, five without seeing her old friends from Hearst or anyone from high school. Everything suddenly felt very big and Veronica felt very small.

Veronica knocked on the door to the apartment lightly, it opened almost immediately and she was pulled into a hug by her father, "My awesome, important, FBI agent daughter. I am so glad to see you safe and home," he kissed the top of her head.

Despite herself she smiled, "I missed you, dad," She came inside and Piper followed slowly, "Dad, this is my partner Piper. Piper, this is my dad, Keith Mars."

They shook hands and Keith put his hands on his hips, "So where are you staying at, Piper? Do you need a lift or directions anywhere?" He was trying to be friendly, but mostly he wanted time with Veronica. Probably to grill her about what happened in Montauk, Piper got that and smiled.

"I'm staying at the Neptune Grand and I'm pretty sure I can get there," she wiggled her iPhone at them, "But I'm using Apple Maps so I'll either get to the Grand or the Long Beach Aquarium, we'll see what happens."

Veronica nodded, "That's Piper, she likes to live dangerously."

Piper left and Keith was alone with Veronica. He didn't say anything at first, just watched her, "Veronica," here it was, the questions, "What happened to you in New York? Are you okay? Nobody just decides to come home from the FBI for six months."

She brought her suitcase into her old room, running her hand over her sheets fondly. Veronica came back out into the kitchen and poured herself a glass of water, sitting down at the breakfast bar, "You haven't read anything but the Neptune News have you?"

He gestured to her with the mug of coffee he was holding for her to continue. She sipped at her water and prepared herself mentally, "That guy I was chasing? The serial killer?"

"Yeah, the one who made body parts into home décor."

"I have a feeling Home Goods wouldn't pick up any decorating tips from him, but yeah that guy. They caught him. He tried to run and so they shot him. The guy was brought out in a body bag and the cop who shot him was given an award."

Keith raised an eyebrow at her and drank his coffee, "I'm confused, I thought that was a good thing. That was what you guys wanted all along, unless I'm mistaken and the FBI is going a different route with these things."

Veronica smiled into her water, unable to make eye contact with her dad, "It turns out it was Josh."

You could hear a pin drop in the silence. Keith put his mug down and stared at her, not speaking and open mouthed for a few painfully long moments, "Oh my God, Veronica…I…"

"It's okay dad, I'm coming to terms with it all," she looked up and smiled, "Piper's been helping me deal with it. They're making me take a leave of absence to collect myself and come back when the trial is over, my supervisor seems to think I'm a delicate flower who can't tolerate this kind of pressure."

Keith squeezed her shoulder, "Then he doesn't know you very well at all, does he?"

"Nope," she squeezed his hand and Keith started to head to his room to change into a suit and get to work, but Veronica stopped him, "Dad?"

"Yes, light of my life?"

"Do you think you could use some extra hands at the office? I don't want to lay in the sun all the time, I'm not built like that. I don't lounge. I could use a distraction for a while." He nodded and disappeared into his room.

Most of the afternoon was boring, uneventful, and full of laying on the couch watching daytime dramas. Veronica cooked dinner and ate with her dad just like they used to, talking about cases and surveillance and how work was going. Keith never brought up the situation with Josh and Veronica appreciated him all the more for that. There was a knock on the door and she got up to open it, Piper stood outside the door in some vintage rock t-shirt and jeans looking much more ready to go somewhere than Veronica did.

"Veronica. Go put real people clothes on and change out of these gross sweatpants," she came inside, not anticipating an invitation at this point in their friendship, "Let's go out and do something, it's been over a week since we've done something not involving the Indian place on Sacks and Netflix. Hey Mr. Mars, sorry to interrupt your dinner."

He smiled at her in that way that told Veronica he liked her candor, "No problem, Piper. You can call me Keith, you're twenty-six."

Piper nodded at him, "Thanks, I feel like a twelve year old when I say Mr. Mars," she turned her attention back to Veronica, "Go. Be a human again. Mush."

"Piper I don't know, it's my first night back and-"

"Honey, go put clothes on and go out," Keith gathered the dishes from the table and looked at her encouragingly, "You know she's right, I don't even know her and I know she's right. Go do youthful things with your youthful friends." He walked by her and kissed her head, settling down on the couch to watch TV.

Veronica was ready quickly, a skill she had picked up because of work. Rodney would go ballistic if she took more than six minutes to shower, he would go nuclear if she spent longer than that picking out clothes. As a result, much of Veronica's wardrobe was mix and match, she didn't wear a lot of clothes that weren't a pants suit anymore so she appealed to her old closet.

Nobody was rushing her this time, Piper was chatting with Keith about where she came from and went to school. San Diego, Berkeley for a Philosophy degree, FBI internship in Virginia her Sophomore year, right into the service when she graduated. Just like Veronica. They were the same age, Piper was a few months older, but Veronica had more experience in the investigation part of their job where Piper connected dots and terrified people. It was their dynamic, it was how they worked so well together. Rodney had picked the right partner for her without knowing anything about her personality.

Veronica smiled to herself and chose jeans, a band t-shirt she hadn't worn in years, and her old black purse. She took the time to put makeup on and style her hair, a luxury and one that Piper had apparently taken advantage of. The woman knew how to work copper eye shadow and a curling iron, Veronica had to admit that. It had surprised her about Piper to find out she was secretly a woman underneath all those thick skinned layers of I'm-not-dealing-with-this-bullshit. Josh had been surprised, too, when she announced she was dating someone who was a man. Piper and her mystery guy hadn't dated long, maybe a few weeks, before Piper shoved the flowers she'd been sent into the garbage and put her cactus back on her desk.

"What happened?" Veronica had asked her.

"Nothing. Which was kind of the problem. Oh also he omitted the slight inconvenient fact that he's engaged and didn't intend to tell me, like I wouldn't find out," Piper touched one of the cactus spines, "I like my cactus better anyway. It speaks to me."

Josh looked up from his file and stared at her, "Like literally speaks to you or metaphorically?"

Piper had grabbed a wilted rose from the trash and threw it at him, petals went everywhere.

Veronica smiled at the memory and tugged on a pair of boots, striding confidently into the living room. Keith and Piper looked up and both of them grinned at her, "You said be people, so I'm being people."

Piper stood up and dramatically offered her arm to Veronica, they strode out to the Spark and went downtown. There was a new bar that had popped up in the time that Veronica had been gone called 09ER. She got the reference, Piper did not. Veronica explained that the wealthiest kids were called 09ers because of their zip code, 90909, and everyone else was beneath them. Piper knew enough about Veronica's high school days to nod slowly and understandingly. She wanted to go in anyway.

They parked the little car and walked around to the front, had their IDs checked – Piper had to be talked out of flashing their badges to keep the bouncers on their toes – and went inside. It wasn't loud on the bottom, but they had been told the top floor was the dance club and the bottom floor was the casual bar. Veronica assumed special permission was needed to get into the top floor so she decided not to bother trying, plus a crowd of sweaty twentysomethings jumping around to house music and drunk off their asses had never fallen into her definition of 'a good time'.

Piper dragged her over to the bar and ordered them a couple of mixed drinks, they found a tall table and looked around. Piper was staring at Veronica for a few minutes before she noticed, "You look miserable. Can we please get really drunk and just have fun?"

"I'm paranoid of running into someone I know. Neptune isn't as big as everyone thinks, nine thousand something people is not a whole lot. You can know all of them, actually." She sipped the drink – what was it? A pomegranate mojito? It looked like a glow stick. – and looked around.

It was almost poetic that she heard her named being called then, someone familiar and whom she actually didn't dread running into while they were here. Veronica got up and turned around, immediately swept up in a hug, "Wallace!" she exclaimed.

"Veronica Mars, FBI Special Agent. Back in Neptune where she belongs, I see," Wallace let her go and joined them at the table, extending his hand to Piper, "Wallace Fennell, old friend of Veronica's."

"Piper Cowell, FBI Special Agent and new friend of Veronica's." Piper was much more relaxed than Veronica had seen her in a while, the stress of everything with Josh must have gotten to her, too. It wasn't like Veronica was the only person in Josh's life, she had been selfish to think like that without asking Piper how she was coping. Piper and Josh had been close friends for a long time, Brody had admitted he thought they would end up dating but they never did. Josh wasn't Piper's style and vice versa, what had formed instead was a sometimes ambiguous platonic friendship.

Wallace turned back to Veronica and tapped his hands on the table, a huge smile spread across his face, "I can't believe you're back in town right now, this is perfect timing. I'm here to check in on my mom for a while and the firm told me I had enough vacation for however long I wanted to get out. Haven't taken a day since I started there." Wallace was working as a medical technology engineer in Chicago since graduation, he had made a name for himself in the company and was inching in on a big position in his department, "What brings you here to Neptune to grace us with your presence?"

Veronica must have given him an expression because his demeanor became concerned, "I just needed some time away from the Bureau, some things were getting to be a little too much."

Wallace nodded and put his hand on her arm, "I read the papers, too, you know. I'm sorry about that guy," there was an uncomfortable silence as Piper looked around and pretended not to hear and Veronica didn't know how to respond, "Anyway, enough about that. What're you doing tonight?"

She shrugged, "Nothing, just coming here. Piper wanted to get out of the house and stop eating delicious Indian food and marathoning Downtown Abbey. Why?"

"Mac told me that Dick is having a party at his and…his roommate's place. He still does those stupid bashes, but the people who go are now into drinking wine and talking about the stock market. I'm headed out now, I saw you by accident, but you guys should come. Seriously, it'll be fun to see everyone again," he looked at her expectantly and then over at Piper who was making a mocking 'Oh Yes' face in Veronica's direction.

Veronica couldn't stop the laugh and shook her head at Piper, "You're like this terrible, annoying, destructive tiny angel that sits on my shoulders and makes me do stupid things, do you know that?"

"I do, and it's usually the devil that makes you do stupid things, but from your colorful past I imagine it doesn't matter which one you talk to. It's always ending in stupid things." Piper drained the drink and put the glass on the table, getting to her feet, "Let's go. This place is stupid anyway, I can smell the over-privileged youth of tomorrow from down here."

That was that, they were going to a party. At Dick's. With old high school friends and college buddies. Veronica's stomach knotted up, she had been avoiding thinking of the possibility of running into Logan since they got on the plane. What would she say? What would she do? Would her hair be perfect? Would he do the smoldering thing to her again? No. She was not putty, she was not wet clay anymore. Veronica Mars is no longer a weak-kneed teenage girl who falls in love with bad boys, Veronica Mars is a tough FBI Special Agent with a former serial killer boyfriend and a kickass right hook. Veronica Mars took boxing classes with Piper who was also a tough FBI Special Agent, they rescued children and escorted extradited citizens back to the United States. She was hardcore. So why did Veronica feel so anxious about running into Logan? It had been years since they'd spoken, years since they had exchanged one word. She had completely cut off communication with him after Freshman year. From what Veronica had heard, he transferred and finished out at USC in Los Angeles. Parker stopped speaking to Veronica for some reason after that summer and she really only hung out with Wallace, Mac, and Piz. It wasn't as if he would be frozen in time, perpetually nineteen year old Logan trying to be a good boy. Logan would have grown up by now, moved on, probably dating or married to some pop star with bubblegum pink highlights and fake boobs that cost more than Veronica's rent for the year. Or he had abandoned that side of himself, he'd become a family man and married a pediatrician. She was probably stunning and very pregnant and Logan probably bought a sensible but spacious house close to the coast. Veronica shook her head and rubbed her temples. Why did she have all these preconceived images of what Logan would be like? She felt like a middle school girl. If you handed her a binder right now, she'd draw hearts around his name and write hers as Mrs. Logan Echolls. The thought made her heart beat fast and she flushed, shaking her head again.

Piper looked over at her with concern, "Veronica are you going to start convulsing? All this shaking is making me think you're going to either burst into song and dance or light on fire."

She looked up at Piper, "Oh, sorry. No. I'm just nervous I think, uhg. I can't even think of something funny to say, this party at Dick's thing isn't funny at all."

"Do you want to go back home?"

"Would you even let me have that option?"

"Probably not."

They had followed Wallace's Nissan Sentra up a long driveway to a large house covered in white lines with huge panes of glass. Loads of cars were parked in the driveway, some of which cost more than Veronica would make in her entire FBI career. They got out of the car and Wallace waited for them, they could see people milling about in the house, talking or grabbing drinks from an unseen bar. The house was situated on a hill with rolling grass and an unobstructed view of the Pacific. Veronica inhaled the salty air deeply and let out a long breath. She would not think about Logan, she would not think about his calling their relationship "epic", she would not think about Mac calling them "star-crossed", she would not think about him beating up Mercer or Gorya, she would not think about how her heart hurt when he saw Veronica and Piz kissing, she would not think about the time that weird little girl tried to get them back together. Piper put her hand on Veronica's shoulder and pushed her towards the door.

"Stargazing? Not what we planned. You said we can go so here we are. If you can't do this or need an out, the code word is 'foliage'. Shout that word and I'll rush to rescue you from every awkward scenario these crazy kids can concoct," Veronica nodded firmly at Piper's encouragement.

"Right. Foliage. I will casually and loudly work that into any conversation, thank you for the easy way out. What would I do without you?"

They walked with Wallace inside, "I don't know, V. I don't even know."

Inside, music was playing, loud and low. Something Veronica hadn't heard before but Wallace insisted was The Black Keys. Piper had, of course, located the bar almost upon entry into the foyer and returned with three large glasses of white wine. Wallace eyed his, "Your girl here knows how to pour a glass of wine."

"Four ounces is a sample, sixteen is a glass," she raised hers and the three of them clinked their glasses together.

Veronica felt a small poke in the middle of her back and she turned to see Mac standing behind her. Mac gave her an awkward smile and a quick hug, "Veronica. I thought I was hallucinating at first and I got worried Dick may have spiked the drinks, so I thought I should come and touch my mirage and make sure I don't have to call the cops."

Veronica introduced Piper again, it was getting old. Piper tilted her glass in a hello, "Mac, how are you? I haven't heard from you in like a month!"

"Yeah well, Skyping with everyone I care about was getting boring so I decided to move back and take the job at Kane Software I told you about," Mac waved at someone else and gave them a smile, "Wait why are you asking me how I am? What about you? You've had a much more interesting life than anyone else here can lay claim to. Why are you even in Neptune? Don't you live in New York City?"

"Yeah I do, I'm on a leave of absence. Personal stuff. It's in the news, please don't ask me about it, just nod if you understand."

Mac nodded. Veronica sighed. Piper refilled the glass she didn't even realize she drained. The four of them found space inside at a small table for four amidst the sea of unfortunately familiar faces. Mac leaned in close to Veronica, "Hey let's play a game. It's called 'Guess the sad future your high school classmate never saw coming'. We point people out and we make up a sad future for them to be living. It's fun, right? I've been playing it all night."

Wallace clapped Veronica on the back, "I'm gonna go mingle, you guys play hard and party safe. Come find me before you take off so I can see you, we have to get food or solve a mystery or something."

"Ah yes, the usual Veronica Mars greeting: Let's solve a mystery or something." She waved and watched Wallace disappear into the crowd.

Piper pointed at a familiar blond – Madison, "Married wealthy, popped out two kids she hates. My guess is an au pair lives at home and tries to keep the kids under control while mommy and daddy go at it regularly every night. Daddy probably has a separate apartment in the city and works a lot of 'late nights' with his secretary. Mommy won't divorce him because she loves diamonds and fancy cars, if Daddy instigates the divorce then the prenup is invalid and he loses half his stuff. How close am I?"

Mac stared at her and gave her a slow golf clap, "I should have known better than to ask FBI agents to play that game. Wow. How can you tell all of that?"

Piper's face twisted into an over dramatic frown, "Look at her. She looks awful. Nobody could be happy marrying her."

They all laughed and Mac pointed again, "Your turn Veronica. Tell me, how did Gia turn out?"

Veronica narrowed her eyes and rested her chin in her hand on the table, "Mom remarried someone equally rich and powerful. She bought her own way through UCLA with some stupid art degree she never knew she wasn't good at. Now? Probably dating some starving artist to spite her over-bearing mother while still living off of her step-father's paychecks. No kids. Maybe a small dog."

Mac clapped again, "Between the two of you, I have no idea who scares me most."Veronica looked down at her glass and noticed it was empty. She was drinking without realizing it, too much pressure being among all these people she hated so much.

Veronica looked around, "Pipes, where's the bar?"

Piper pointed to the back, "Outside on the back patio. It's pretty quiet, there's also one in here, but there's so many people lined up it takes like five minutes to get a refill."

Veronica tapped her glass on the table and climbed off the stool. She meandered through the crowd towards the back, eventually bumping into a very tall blond man.

He turned around and exclaimed, "Whoa! Veronica Mars! Who invited you? How do you know where I live? Is this some FBI spy magic or whatever?"

She sighed, "Dick. Hi. No, Wallace invited me."

"Oh that's cool. I knew you couldn't stay away from me forever, so don't even pretend you didn't hope to see me. I remember everything we had, Ronnie." He was trying to dance with her, she was having none of itl.

"Everything we had?" she raised an eyebrow at him and crossed her arms over her chest, "Like the kind of things were I told you that you were an idiot and I wouldn't touch you with someone else's pool cleaning solution?"

He spread his arms at her, exasperated, "Don't be that way, baby. You know you need some Dick in your life."

'So', she thought, 'I guess I can dismiss the possibility of my old high school chums growing up.' Veronica patted his cheek and kept moving through the crowd despite him asking where she was going over the music. She eventually made it outside and walked to the bar, filling the glass with some more Chardonnay and leaning against one of the railings overlooking the ocean. She was content, watching the waves break against the cliff sound of it was comforting, Veronica even closed her eyes and let the sticky Southern California breeze wash over her face.

The glass door slid closed and someone else stepped out onto the patio. They didn't move immediately towards the bar, but Veronica could feel them staring at her. She didn't care. Even if it were someone here to shove her over the edge, she wouldn't have cared.

"…Veronica?"

She opened her eyes. She knew that voice, that inflection. Slowly, Veronica turned around and caught his eyes with hers. She stared at him for a moment before talking,

"Logan?"


	3. Liar Liar

**Author's Note:** I changed the sequence of events a little. I know I said I had 3 prepared, but really I didn't like the 3rd chapter I wrote. Instead I rewrote this one because it makes more sense for what I wanted, but couldn't get to. I'm glad the reception is positive so far! I'm going to keep it up at this point, I like writing it and I think I've figured out how to make everything happen.

**Chapter 3: Liar Liar**

Logan took two big steps towards her, suddenly realized his enthusiasm, and slowed down. Logan tried to hide a smile, "What are you doing here? I mean, in Neptune? When did you come in?" He had to fight the urge to ask her what happened and where she had disappeared to. Logan wanted to ask her everything about her life up to this point, he was hungry with need to know what happened to Veronica Mars, the great love of his young life.

She took a big, long drink from her wine glass and set it down on the wide, flat railing, "I, uh, I'm here for some leave. My boss sent me back home for a while to deal with some stuff."

Veronica saw it immediately, the concern in his face. It was overwhelming, she didn't even know anything about who this Logan was, only the Logan she had left at Hearst.

"Stuff? What kind of stuff?" his hand lifted as if he were going to touch her arm, but he forced it back down. Everything Logan had been dying to say sat in his chest burning a hole in his heart. Standing in front of him after all these years was the woman he had loved more than himself, the woman he had missed so painfully that he still had days of it. He didn't even know who she was now, she might despise him for everything he was and everything he ever did to her.

Veronica could feel her heart pounding in her ears, her blood was hot in her veins despite the cool California air, "I don't really want to talk about it right now. I kind of left my partner at the table talking to Mac, she…she came with me down here. Something about her own personal stuff. I should really get back." Why was she fighting the urge to stay so hard? Why was it impossible for her to just talk with Logan?

"Oh. Well, I shouldn't keep you here I guess," Even though it was the only thing in the world he wanted to do. The desire to know this new Veronica was powerful, it smothered him a little. The thought that she was here on leave to deal with something was hard to handle, he pushed his questions out of his mind, his pull to her, his need to know what she had been doing with her life, all of it he pushed aside. Logan watched her as she walked back towards the door – backwards mostly, keeping her eyes fixed on his – and ran his hands through his hair. He let out a sigh and reached over the bar, grabbing a bottle of scotch and pouring himself a few glasses of it.

'Come on, Logan,' he thought to himself, 'Get it together. Go in and be friends with her, like you said you would be. Stop being such a pussy.' He took another drink and had to stop himself from running back inside. Logan scanned the room urgently for Veronica and saw her across the house at a table.

He stared at her for a long while, watching Veronica laughing. It was a nice thing to see, something he had hoped he would see her doing again. Logan skirted the crowd of people mingling and eating appetizers and demanding more alcohol from the bartender, he walked carefully and deliberately towards their raised table. Mac saw him first and smiled, giving him a small wave.

"Hey Logan. Veronica's back in town, I had to remind myself she isn't a hallucination and we can actually hang out with her now."

Logan smiled, his eyes fixed on Veronica the whole time. She stared into her glass, obviously avoiding looking at him. The woman looked at both of them and elbowed Veronica. She finally looked up at him, gesturing to the woman, "This is Piper Cowell, my partner back in New York. Piper, this is Logan."

"Logan?" Piper shook his hand and suddenly her eyes widened and she said his name again more slowly, like she had just realized something, "Oh, _Logan_. Logan Echolls. Who I have definitely never heard about and absolutely never Facebook stalked after Veronica and I drank margaritas and talked about our love lives. Hello. It is nice to meet you for the first time in person."

Logan laughed and looked back at Veronica who looked like she might drop dead there at the table, "You FBI agents are very convincing people, I almost believed Piper had never heard of me before."

Veronica must have stared at him for too long, panic surged in her chest and she felt herself start to go cold. Why was she so touchy, so panicky? This was ridiculous, she was determined to be normal and just be herself, not this jumpy little deer stuck in a pair of headlights. Piper must have seen it on her face because she touched her elbow under the table gently and cocked her head. They made eye contact and Veronica grabbed her arm.

"We should probably get going, back to my dad's. It's my first night home and I don't really want to be out that late," Veronica looked at Mac apologetically and then back to Piper, "You're good to drive?"

Piper nodded and let herself be led out of the house, Logan followed slowly behind them and watched Veronica climb into the front seat of the car. She paused, staring at him again just for a moment before closing the door and buckling her seat belt. When Piper pulled away, he had jogged onto the driveway, Veronica watched him in the rear view mirror and sank down into her seat. 'Stupid, stupid, stupid,' she told herself, 'I shouldn't have come here tonight, I need like a week before I have that kind of courage.'

Piper let the silence win for a minute or two, "Do you want to talk about this whole panicky, spooked squirrel thing you've got going on? Or should we just go home and pretend it never happened?"

Veronica covered her face with her hands and sighed, sliding her hands back through her hair, "It's a long story. I already told you most of it."

"Yeah, but it's not like you to freak out in the face of confrontation."

"I don't know, Logan's...different. It's not like the kind of confrontation I need to strap a kevlar on for, though I wouldn't mind one for the next encounter." There it was, 'The next encounter'. Home for less than twenty-four hours and she was already anticipating seeing Logan again.

Piper was quiet again as she drove, changing onto the freeway to get back to Veronica's, "Do you think part of this panicking has to do with Josh?"

"I don't want to talk about Josh anymore," Veronica snapped. She regretted it immediately, Piper almost looked bruised, an incredibly rare thing to see. Veronica was doing it again, thinking she was the only one affected by Josh's betrayal.

'I shouldn't have snapped at her, she doesn't really know absolutely everything there is to know,' Veronica didn't try to fix the situation either way, driving in silence was better than being forced to talk about two subjects she didn't want to think about right now: Logan and Josh.

The rest of the drive was wordless, Piper didn't even get out of the car when she dropped Veronica off. Veronica wasn't going to fight her, she closed the door and went inside. Keith was asleep on the couch with the TV still turned on. She smiled and looked at him for a moment, enjoying the reminder of how peaceful life could be without all this craziness that had encapsulated her. Veronica draped a blanket over him, kissed his forehead, turned off the TV, and went to bed.

The morning after was almost hazy with deja-vu, Veronica didn't have a whole lot to do other than follow her dad to work just like old times. At the office, she focused on filing and organizing the closed cases, handling voice mails for Keith, and updating clients over the phone. It wasn't particularly sleuth-y work, but it kept her busy and busy was important.

It was almost noon when Veronica checked her phone and realized Piper had been completely silent all day. Few enough days went by when they didn't see each other or speak to one another that Veronica was sure she could count them on two hands. There was a knock at the door, gentle enough that she almost didn't hear it. Veronica looked up to see a woman, probably late thirties, stepping gingerly into the office.

"Detective Mars?" she asked.

"Yes," Veronica said instinctively and laughed at herself, remembering, "He's out right now on a case. Is there something I can help you with?" Being a secretary felt so much easier than being burdened with the hassle of dating a serial killer.

"I wanted Mr. Mars to run some surveillance for me...on my son," the woman was wringing her hands nervously.

"I can take down your information and pick up your case myself, I'm his assistant," she pulled out a legal pad, "I'm also a certified Private Investigator." It was true, she hadn't let her license lapse during her time at the FBI. 'You always need a plan B,' Veronica had told herself when she submitted the documents to renew.

According to this woman, Willa Ford, her son Gregory Ford was getting involved with a shady group of people and she was worried he was doing drugs, "I just need to know before his parole officer does."

"Parole officer? He's fifteen."

"Yes well, he's been in and out of juvenile detention centers, you see. He has to report to a youth officer every month. If Gregory tests positive for anything, he'll be sent back."

"So what good does it do you to know first?" Veronica found herself now unsurprised at the behavior Willa had described, it seemed obvious he was probably doing something untoward.

"I have some clout with this man, he'll give Gregory a free pass for a week and delay his testing a little. I just need to know before he does and Gregory probably won't tell me, even though he knows it's for his own good. I think..." she bit her lip, "I think one of his friends is selling drugs on campus and he just doesn't want him in trouble."

Veronica nodded and completed the case file, she got as much information as she could and grabbed her bag after Willa had left. Keith had never sold the Saturn, just switched between that and his old Crown Vic. Today the Saturn was all hers, so she decided to take it out for a much needed surveillance session.

Neptune High was a breeding ground for many things, not high on the list was morality and education. Veronica parked her car where she could see the parking lot clearly through her own camera and waited, focusing in on the vehicle Willa had described as her son's. She watched a cluster of teenaged boys talking for a moment, one of them started looking around and began whispering to his friends. She snapped a few shots.

He reached into his backpack and started pulling out small Ziploc bags, the boys started keeping a lookout while he exchanged the bags for cash. 'This kid is going to find himself in a world of trouble, this is the most obvious drug transaction I have ever seen in my entire career,' Veronica had to fight the urge to roll her eyes and kept snapping.

Someone knocked on her window and she screamed slightly, "_God_! I wish people would stop doing that to me!" She looked over at the passenger side window and saw Mac waving at her.

Veronica rolled the window down and smiled, "Hey Mac! What's going on?"

"I'm just picking up my little brother. I saw your car so I thought I would-" she saw the camera, "Oh shit I had no idea, I'm sorry. I didn't think you'd be working... I'll just leave you alone!"

"No, no it's fine. I technically am not supposed to be, but if it's not on record my boss will never know," Veronica put a finger to her lips to insist on secrecy.

Mac said goodbye to her and jogged back to her Hyundai, pulling away from the curb and down the road. Veronica laughed and shook her head slightly, turning her attention back to the boys in the car. They were watching her now, subtly, but definitely watching her. She suddenly felt uncomfortable under their eyes.

One of the boys elbowed the other whom she identified as Gregory, they climbed into a run down sedan and started to drive out of the lot. Veronica pretended to be shooting someone else, ignoring the boys as they drove past her and stared accusingly in her direction. The car picked up speed after it went past and she gave them a fifteen second lead before starting up the SUV and pulling out to follow them.

'Now where are you headed looking so suspicious and youthful,' she wondered. Veronica was a professional tail at these kinds of things, never too close as to draw attention and never so far that she lost them. At first she wasn't paying attention to where she was going, but then the buildings began to be familiar. _Too_ familiar.

The sedan pulled into a convenience store parking lot and Veronica parked on the street almost a block away and shut off the car. She took photos of the boys getting out and walking up to an all-too-familiar bar with a blue face and bright neon signage: The River Styx.

Gregory was uncomfortably friendly with the 'bouncer', though the term was used loosely here, and the group of them just walked right in. Shadows behind the door showed them being welcomed, Veronica frowned, 'Well this is new. Letting severely under-aged kids into your bar? What are you doing in there, Liam Fitzpatrick?'

Years ago, Veronica would have been nervous about a place like The River Styx and would have avoided it or packed up right there. Things had changed, people like the Fitzpatricks no longer scared her or intimidated her. They were just another criminal operation in her book of criminal operations.

Then the door opened again and someone else stepped out, a familiar wash of red-brown hair in a pair of shorts and a dark green and black t-shirt, brown boots on her feet and a pair of sunglasses perched on her head. Piper.

Piper's gaze lifted and she locked eyes with Veronica. It was just for a heartbeat, but long enough to ensure Veronica knew Piper had seen and immediately recognized her. Rather than coming over to the vehicle or narrowing her eyes in disapproval - usually the case with Piper - she abruptly turned down an alleyway. A few minutes later, the little white Spark crossed onto the main street and drove away from Veronica's parked Saturn.

What is even weirder than an Irish gang bar letting in fifteen year olds? It's watching your partner mysteriously duck out of that same bar and practically run away from you.

'What are _you_ doing in there, Piper?' Veronica thought.

Piper watched in the rear view mirror, her heart pounding a little. 'Shit, shit, _shit!_' she scolded herself internally and slammed her hands onto the steering wheel. Veronica was not supposed to be anywhere near her right now, not even on this side of town.

'Veronica is a P.I., too, you idiot. She's probably taken on a case that brought her here,' Piper pulled her sunglasses down over her eyes and tried to concoct a story, a cover, something so Veronica wouldn't ask her for more information. Her phone rang and Veronica's picture popped up, Piper debated ignoring it and decided that would be too suspicious.

"Pipe? Did I just see you down town at a bar?"

Veronica diving right into the questioning? No shmoozing or coercing the information she wanted? Here for two days and Neptune was bringing her back to the other side of the abyss of sadness.

"Oh, yeah I was down town looking for a mall and decided to get a drink instead." The mall? Who did Veronica think Piper was, some girl getting ready for a slumber party and pillow fight?

Veronica was quiet, debating on pushing the subject. Piper was lying, but calling her out on it wouldn't get Veronica the information she needed, "Oh." was all she could manage.

Piper wanted to kick herself, such an obvious lie was sloppy and counter-intuitive. She didn't want to lie to Veronica, but she didn't want to shoulder her with this crazy situation she was trying to work though. It wasn't fair to ask for help with this, not from her at least, "Where have you been all day anyway? You didn't even text me when you got up."

"I've been working in my dad's office, didn't I tell you that?"

"No, otherwise I would've brought you a donut or whatever it is fake cops eat," Piper lightened the conversation, ribbing Veronica's plan B profession a little like she always did.

"Donuts? Please, it's all about the Cronuts up in here. Pretend cops like pretend donuts, you know that," Veronica let everything slide and the tension in their conversation eased, "Do you want to go down to the beach and just...vegetate? I'm feeling the need to unwind."

Piper felt the physical effect of relief, "Sure. I didn't think we'd be in Southern California for long before we hit some water," she changed her accent to sound like every stereotype of a surfer she could think of, "C'mon brah, lets catch some sweet foam dude."

Veronica laughed, "I've got some towels in the car, pick up something for lunch and I'll meet you down by the pier."

When Veronica finally saw Piper, she was carrying a paper bag with two pastrami sandwiches and a cold six-pack of hard cider.

"Don't judge me, I drink on vacation and this is technically vacation," she pointed at Veronica accusingly and sat down hard on one of the beach towels.

Veronica took the sandwich Piper offered here and twisted the cap of an Angry Orchard, letting the cold, sweet cider cool her off. Immediately she felt at ease again with Piper, maybe she was telling the truth after all. Piper did weird things on vacation, why couldn't finding a mall be one of them?

'Come on, Veronica, you're not that stupid.' she reminded herself. Okay, maybe she still didn't believe Piper.

The sun was hot and high, people littered the beach with surfboards and bikinis, kids built castles and watched them get washed away by the tide. Veronica balled up the paper and shoved it into the brown paper bag, opening another cider.

"This reminds me of when we went to Antigua to bring back that extradited guy. We were like two days early because we wanted to take some time off without burning vacation," Piper laughed and lifted her bottle to her lips. She paused and put it back down again, "Hey V, how strong are you feeling today? Still in panicky baby deer mode?"

Veronica looked at her, confused, "I feel great, kind of like I'm myself again, why?"

"Oh. You'll find out in a few seconds."

Someone stuck a surfboard into the sand behind her, a second someone did the same thing. Suddenly, Dick was sitting on her towel and grabbing one of their ciders, "Hey Veronica, I saw you and your hot stunt double had beer. Don't mind me."

If Dick was here then-

"Hope you don't mind," Logan said, lowering another six-pack of some beer she had never heard of down next to the ciders. He sat down on Veronica's towel, close enough to make the hair on her arms raise and far enough that she wasn't immediately overwhelmed with need to take flight.

Veronica and Logan stared at each other and said nothing.

"We don't mind, I think," Piper didn't know how to answer for Veronica, she wasn't used to covering for someone who had never been so evasive in Veronica's body.

Dick lifted his chin at Piper, "So what's your deal, are you single and ready to mingle? Or like off limits like Ronnie here because of the whole serial killer thing?" So Dick had heard. Not a whole lot of people knew, but it was all over the news. Veronica thought about where he could've heard it from and fondly remembered her very public Facebook relationship.

Veronica say Logan stiffen, staring at her hard after hearing the words from Dick's mouth. She didn't look at him, but she could feel him staring at her, pressing back anything he wanted to say or do.

It was true, Logan had heard something through the grape vine, Dick had mentioned something to him earlier. It stung, not hearing it from Veronica herself though. Logan tightened his grip around the neck of his beer bottle, he decided to put it on the back burner. At least he knew why Veronica was back in Neptune now.

Piper just stared at him dumbly, "How do you think serial killer is spelled, let's just start there and we'll see how you do."

Veronica punched Dick in the arm, "Would you leave her alone?"

"No really, I want to hear him spell it."

Veronica laughed and Dick fought to defend himself with Piper, but she was too smart and knew she was out of his league. Money didn't attract her, Dick really didn't have a leg to stand on. It was Logan who was quiet, smiling and looking happy, watching Veronica constantly in his peripheral vision. That was weird to Veronica, he normally had some smart thing to say in situations like this.

"So, Veronica," he finally spoke and only to her, Piper and Dick were talking about career aspirations and Dick's lack of them, "You feeling better today? You seemed...off yesterday,"

She took a quiet, deep breath, "Yeah, it was just a long day."

"I never got a chance to ask you how things have been going for you in New York." Logan distracted himself with peeling the label on his bottle. Twenty-six years old and he still fidgeted like that, it make her smile fondly at his hands.

"Things have been," she swallowed hard, "great. Bogged down with work, never a dull moment in Veronica Mars's life."

He let out a slight laugh, "Yeah, never a dull moment." He was looking at her intensely now, the desire to ask her every little mundane detail about her life bubbling back up inside him. Veronica looked so perfect, so content right now that he didn't want to change anything about it.

Logan decided not to ruin the moment for her, "So Piper what about you? Are you from around here?"

Piper shook her head and then shrugged, "Well sort of, I grew up in San Diego and I was born in Connecticut. Berkeley for my degree in Philosophy which everyone said would be useless. Joke's on them, I have a badge now."

He nodded at her and finished his beer, nodding at Dick, "You ready to take off, man? I don't want to bug these fine ladies any more than we have."

Dick shrugged and got to his feet, "Doesn't matter to me, dude. I'm not getting any luckier here than I did in the water."

They both got to their feet and Veronica stared up at Logan, his wet suit half unzipped and draped around his waist. She felt her heartbeat go up again and looked down at her drink again. He tapped his sticky, sandy fingertips against the top of her head and collected his board, turning around before they reached his Land Rover.

Logan smiled at her and gave her a two-fingered wave, "See you around town I hope, Miss Mars."

Veronica smiled at him and raised her drink a little in acknowledgement, turning her stare down at her feet again. This was awkward, everything about it felt wrong. Her feet ached to chase after him, to pour her heart out to him about everything that had happened to her and let him help her cope with it all. Veronica's stubborn brain kept her sitting on that towel, picking at the label of her own beer as well.

Piper sighed loudly and shook her head at Veronica, "I don't understand you sometimes."

"What do you mean?"

Piper dramatically tilted her head and rolled her eyes, "Please, girlfriend. Like it isn't painfully obvious to anyone with field experience that you almost hyperventilate when he talks to you. If you still have feelings for the guy then you should tell him that."

She shook her head, "I can't, Pipes. My feelings are all messed up right now. I can't explain it, I want to move forward from this and pretend I can get past it. More than anything," she sighed, "all I feel is anger at Josh. I don't even feel sad he's dead, I'm just pissed I wasn't the one holding the gun."

It was the most Veronica had said about her feelings since everything had happened, Piper didn't try and push her and instead just let her talk. Veronica looked out at the ocean and the sun that was starting to hang low in the afternoon sky, "It's been two weeks since everything went down. I grieved for two days and then I was just...done. I was over it, I didn't want to give him any more of my time than he had already stolen from me. It seems useless to talk about it, it just digs up old garbage I would rather pretend never existed in the first place."

They sat in silence again, Piper made the decision to pack up and head back to Veronica's apartment.

'Enough,' Piper thought, 'enough for today.'


	4. Wilfdire

**Author's Note:** I decided it's time for some fluffy stuff. I've gotten into my own writing. I guess vodka helps, but shhh don't give away my secrets. This chapter's a little shorter than I wanted, but I needed a piquing note to end on. Also watch out for language, it gets stronger as it goes on.

**Chapter 4: Wildfire**

Logan sat at the kitchen table he shared with Dick, just staring at the beer bottle in front of him. He was mulling over everything he knew now. Veronica had been with a guy in the FBI named Josh Monroe. Subsequently, Josh Monroe had been discovered as the Montauk Marina Mangler, some sick fuck who had targeted working women on their way home from work. Josh drugged them, hacked them up, and then put their parts on display on the decks of expensive yachts.

Logan wanted to throw up, both for himself and for Veronica. The only mention of her at all had been a side note: Suspect's significant other has been cleared of any prior knowledge of these murders.

_Significant other_. Veronica had never been named in the papers or anywhere else, Logan had never known what dragged her back to Neptune. He wished that Dick had kept his stupid mouth shut, had let Veronica keep her secret from him. The look on her face when Dick had mentioned it on the beach was a form of shock he hadn't seen on her face before, she hadn't even asked Dick how he knew about the whole thing. From their conversation on the drive home, Logan found out Dick was still friends with Veronica on Facebook. The relationship hadn't been a secret there, but her privacy settings were heavy enough to stop Logan in his tracks when he tried to snoop.

'Not that I ever did. I mean except once, early on after I transferred.' he thought, slightly embarrassed by his own unwillingness to admit he had missed her in the first few weeks at USC.

Dick came down the stairs, a towel over his shoulder, and grabbed a beer from the fridge, "Why the face, dude? You okay?"

Logan gave him a wry smile, "In all our years as friends, when have we ever had a heart-to-heart about how we're feeling?"

"Well after Cassidy...you know...we talked about it kind of." Dick opened the bottle and took a drink.

"Yeah but this friendship is built on a foundation of never getting touchy-feely about these kinds of things."

Dick wrapped both hands around the bottle, "Is it the whole Veronica thing?"

'The whole Veronica thing' was a big phrase, though Logan wasn't sure Dick knew it. It covered everything, from Lilly to Veronica to College to Parker to Piz and now back to Veronica again. Maybe Dick did realize what a big statement he'd just made.

"I just..." he tapped the bottle on the table, "I don't know why she didn't tell me or anything. I would've helped, picked her up or taken her out for some fun. You know, something to get her mind off of it."

'And get to see her, help her, be something for her. Like I used to be.' But Logan left that part out.

Dick nodded like he understood, but didn't ask for more details. He turned into the spigot of spiritual advice Dick always turned into when girls were involved, "Dude, just go talk to her or something. I mean, you already know so what's the big deal? Who cares if she didn't tell you, I only even knew because of Facebook. Plus, dude, it's all over the news. It's not like it's a secret."

Dick had a point, if Logan had stayed on good terms with Veronica he would've known immediately when it happened. But he didn't, he had only himself to blame for that part. Logan drank the rest of his beer and sat in silence, Dick patted his shoulder and got up to go play Xbox. That left just Logan and his brain to over-think the day some more.

Last night had been weird, Veronica hardly wanted anything to do with him, but her friend had assumed the opposite. Everything felt wrong, awkward. He had only partially gone after her, but she still seemed to be running away from everything.

The more he considered it, the more Logan considered that maybe it wasn't him she was running from.

Veronica sat on the sofa with her dad, the TV was on, but she wasn't paying attention. Everything today had been a lot for her, she was caving under the exhaustion. It was hard for her to tell how she was being affected by everything going on, some days she woke up and felt fine when others she would turn a corner and be overwhelmed with the need to run from the reality of it all. The only time Veronica had felt herself was when she was working, everything else made her clam up.

Then there was Logan. He seemed to be everywhere, like he was always in the shadows waiting for her to come back to Neptune. Veronica had to suppress the urge to throttle Dick when he had brought up her reasons for coming back, she had hoped to keep those under the rug for a few more weeks before saying anything to anyone. But Logan? She had never intended to tell him, letting that part of her life go to her grave with her. It was idealistic and unreal, impossible to occur, but she had still intended it on some childish level.

What had been so wrong about Dick telling Logan anyway? It was all over the news now, all Logan had needed was her name instead of 'significant other' in some of the reports. The only thing Veronica needed was to tell Logan the name of who she had been dating and he would have immediately made the connection between Montauk and her return to Neptune.

Everything felt all wrong, Veronica shouldn't have been filled with dread at the idea of telling Logan and be perfectly content telling everyone else. Was it really Logan she was so terrified of? Or was it everything Logan represented to her?

Veronica had missed him in the early days of his transfer, but had been too stubborn to do anything about it. Now back in Neptune the only thing she wanted to do was to run to him, tell him everything and sob her heart out. Logan had been able to handle her bullshit, handle all of the emotional blunt force she packed in a metaphorical punch. But when she saw his face, she just wanted to run. It was like being torn in two directions, like she was two different people fighting for supremacy in one body. Veronica wished that Piper would just lock her in a room with Logan and make her deal with the conflicting emotions that had welled up between them.

Keith got up and kissed her on the head, snapping her out of her own thoughts, "I've got an early day tomorrow. I'll see you at the office whenever you get up."

Veronica smiled up at him, "Goodnight, dad."

She retreated back to the TV and chewed on her thumb nail, 'I'm here for a minimum of half a year, I have to find some way to be conversational, be normal.' Normal was entirely arbitrary at this stage. Normal could mean busting out her kick-ass self and solving some drug cartel crimes. Normal could mean chasing Logan every second she was here until...until what? They dated again? That was stupid. She was a grown ass woman living in grown ass New York City with a grown ass job. Relationships weren't as flighty as they used to be, she wasn't as flighty as she used to be. Logan and Veronica had never been completely stable, but they _had_ been...beautifully unstable. It had been electric, intense, on fire. Logan had understood one thing, he had understood that fire and her passion for what she did, so a degree. He had understood her pain when she let him see it, he had understood her need for constant motion and restlessness when things settled down. Settling down wasn't in her genes, it wasn't in his either. The thought make her smile secretly to herself, push herself back in the pillows.

There it was, the good thoughts of Logan, not the ones that made her want to run into the woods never to be seen again. Thinking of Logan like that, like something that moved with her instead of against her, that made him seem more real to her. The truth of it was that she was terrified of instability right now, she was terrified of temporary and terrified of being sucked into some new horror story. Logan wasn't always unstable, he wasn't always unpredictable. He had always been dependable, always let her be free. The drive he had to protect her could never be neutered, neither could Veronica's need to be on the move. Maybe now that they were older, wiser, more permanent in their ways...maybe things had changed for both of them and not just for Veronica.

Someone knocked at the door, gently in case the house had been asleep. She got up off the couch and opened it without peering outside.

Logan stood on the front porch, hands tucked into his pockets. He looked up at her like he always had, suddenly they were back in their high school days in that moment. Veronica leaned against the door frame and crossed her arms against the breeze, self conscious of her pajamas and bathrobe all of a sudden, "Hey..."

He gave her a small smile, "Hey." Logan forgot what he was going to say for a moment, even in pajamas she was perfect, "Can we talk?"

Part of Veronica had been waiting for this moment, when Logan would show up on her doorstep and ask to talk. Two days in, almost three. It had to be a record. She nodded, "Sure," she closed the door behind herself and stepped outside, "What do you want to know?"

They both leaned against the railing looking down into the courtyard, the pool glowed bright fluorescent blue against the darkness. Logan leaned on his hands forward and back a few times while he rolled around his thoughts in his mind, "I want to know what's going on with you. From you, not from Dick or the papers."

'Curse you and your huge, stupid mouth, Dick.' Veronica thought, "There isn't really much to say that isn't in the papers."

"Veronica." he looked at her frankly. She knew there was, she just was reluctant to say something about it.

She sighed and turned, leaning on her arm while she faced him, "I dated Josh for almost two and a half years, he never wanted to move in with me and we never talked about it except for once. I thought he was this amazing intelligence specialist, he was smart and charismatic and funny. I never once thought to be curious about the random late night meetings or the crime scenes that ended hours before he got home, I let it all be. After all, we were FBI, why would he lie?"

It came pouring out of her, finally. It was almost like a sigh to finally be telling Logan. Piper had known, she had been there for all of it, but it felt like they shared the load of this terrible experience between them each making it lighter for the other. Logan was fresh, in a way Wallace and her dad had not been. Somehow Logan took the burden from her, just for a little while, and let her feel light by pouring it all out.

"I loved him a lot, he was so different than anyone I had ever been with. He was like me, it was like a mirror. Everything seemed like it was moving the way we wanted to, Josh was strong and capable and intimidating. I was, well, Veronica Mars. Everybody in the department learned who I was, who Piper was. The four of us, us and Josh's partner Brody, we became rock stars in our department. Together Josh and I were a rock star couple, a power couple. I had no idea until I got that call," tears welled up in her eyes, "Not a single inkling he was up to anything like that. I couldn't have known. But part of me thinks I could have, I could have known about it and done something...now I have to live with that feeling and I can't seem to make it go away."

Logan watched her silently, letting her pour all of this out to him, pour it into him to help him share in her pain. When Veronica's eyes began to well up, it was too much for him to take. His composure broke and he put his arm around her waist, wrapping the other around her shoulders and tangling his fingers in her hair. He pulled her against him in a hard hug and whispered against her head, "Veronica I am so, so sorry. There is nothing I can say that will make that kind of pain go away."

Veronica grabbed handfuls of his sweater and held to him tightly, she buried her face in his shoulder and sobbed, her shoulders shaking. It was the first time she had let herself cry this hard, this openly in front of someone since she broke down at the crime scene. His grip on her tightened, he wouldn't let go of her unless she asked him to. Veronica, despite her wracking sobs, took comfort in that and held tightly to him.

Logan's skin was on fire touching her, everything about his nerves had come alive. It was like he had been hit with a thousand volts all from Veronica's body. The feel of her in his hands, against his chest, her hair in his fingers. All of it was right. Veronica noticed it, too, the prickling feeling like static everywhere he touched her. The feeling of wrongness had disappeared, like this was exactly where she was supposed to be. She pushed back, scared all of a sudden and wiped her eyes, ignoring her smudging makeup.

"I'm sorry, it's just-"

"-a lot to handle." he finished for her. Logan nodded towards the door, "Let's go sit down inside."

They didn't talk about Josh anymore, about what brought her to Neptune, about what was breaking her heart. They just sat on the couch, Veronica's feet in Logan's lap, and talked about their lives. How New York had made Veronica grow up and harden inside, about how the cases she handled just affirmed her position that everyone is hiding something. They talked about how Logan had stayed in Neptune, had a career as a producer and a part-time investor. They shared stories of Dick and Wallace and Mac, high school stories and Logan's stories from USC. He never pushed her to talk about it more and Veronica didn't offer to, even though she knew he wanted to know more. There was always more where Veronica Mars was concerned. Before she realized it, they had fallen asleep on the couch.

Bacon woke her up in the morning, Keith cooked wordlessly and smiled at her when he realized she was awake. He signaled for her to be quiet and then she remembered, looking over at Logan still asleep on the couch.

He stirred and put a hand over his eyes, rubbing the sleep from them. Logan suddenly realized where he was and inhaled sharply, sitting up and dropping Veronica's feet on the floor. He looked up at Keith.

"Oh, uh, good morning Sheriff Mars," Logan got up slowly, aching everywhere from sleeping on the sofa.

Veronica sat up and watched him, only getting up when her dad nodded at the cooked bacon. Logan's eyes followed her and he rubbed the back of his neck, "Sorry, I didn't mean to fall asleep like that. I'll get out of your hair."

Keith didn't stop him and didn't intend to, "No problem, you drive safe, Logan."

Veronica made a face at her dad, offended he wasn't being more hospitable. She walked with him to the door and stepped out on the porch with him, reaching out and grabbing his arm as he walked away, "Hey-"

He turned to her and gave her that same look he always did when he wanted more than just a thank you, more than just something small like that to hold on to, "Yeah?"

Veronica's breath caught in her throat for a second and she exhaled, "Thank you. For coming by last night, I'm glad we talked."

It was unconscious when Logan lifted his hand to push her hair back, he didn't even think about it and it didn't even feel unnatural, "Anytime, Veronica. You know when you need me, I'm there."

He paused and rested his hand on her cheek, smiling back at her for a moment before turning and walking away. Veronica watched him, wanting to say a thousand more things before Logan left her there on the balcony. She went back inside and closed the door, leaning against it.

"He's still trouble, you know," Keith stared at her, "Just be careful."

She looked at him skeptically, "I'm sure we know my relationship choices are never exactly based on safety."

The darkness of her joke made both of them laugh, Veronica sat down on the stool next to him and ate quietly.

He left her there by herself to stare at her bacon and show up when she was ready to put in some hours.

Logan sat in his car outside the apartment complex staring at his steering will, not going anywhere and not wanting to go anywhere. After all, where would he even go? Where did he even want to go now?

A small white Chevy Spark parked behind him and Piper got out, pausing when she got to his car, "Logan?"

He glanced over at her, "The one and only."

"Is Veronica still here?"

"Yeah she's still inside."

Piper nodded and walked away slowly, not asking any questions. He could see why Veronica liked her, let other people's business be other people's business until they made it her business.

Piper opened the front door and walked inside, stealing a piece of bacon off Veronica's plate, "You know your Logan not-boyfriend is outside in his car just staring, right?"

Veronica ignored the swelling of giddiness in her stomach and shook her head. Piper nodded slowly, "Okay then."

Piper waited for Veronica to get dressed and then put her bag in her hand. The two of them walked out to the car, Logan's Audi had long since disappeared by that point and Veronica felt a stab of disappointment for a moment. Piper drove her towards Mars Investigations and seemed to be biting her lip, wanting to ask something but unsure how to ask it.

"What is it?" Veronica finally asked.

Piper looked at her and back out the windshield, "Can you get me some information on someone?"

"It depends," Veronica raised an eyebrow. "What information do you need?"

"I need a police file on a cold case. It was ruled as an overdose, but it was initially opened as a murder file eleven years ago."

Why would Piper want an overdose file from over a decade ago? "Sure, what's the name?" Veronica was plagued with a sudden curiosity, a need to distract herself from her Logan-high with work.

"Angela Boris. She died in the San Diego PD jurisdiction and the case is old enough to be public, I just don't have time to get down to the station right now and get a copy." Piper was chewing her lip again.

Veronica nodded and stared straight ahead. What a strange vacation this was so far. Veronica had attended a party at Dick's, met up with Mac and Wallace, started a new case, and began the mending process with Logan in three days' time. 'Typical week in the live of Veronica,' she thought to herself, 'Now why is Piper asking about an overdose case? And why did she lie about The River Styx?'

Something told Veronica her vacation wasn't actually going to be any vacation at all, but at least it would distract her from whatever was going on with the Josh Monroe case.


	5. Howling for You

**Author's****Note: **I'm finally getting everything in gear. This is moving way faster than I thought it would, I'm definitely not left wanting for material I guess. Season 3 left so many possibilities... Maybe the Kickstarter project will get us a Netflix series, fellow Marshmallows!

**Chapter 5: Howling for You**

Piper sat in her hotel room at the Neptune Grand, the file she had asked for two days ago sat open in front of her on the coffee table. Photos of the pale body of a young girl splayed out on the asphalt of a nondescript alley were lined up above the actual police report. Initially, the body had been reported as a murder, investigated as a murder. The toxicology report had come up positive for substantial amounts of heroin in her system when she died, but the investigation as a murder continued. Finally, some Sergeant slapped his initials on the file, called it an accidental overdose, and shut the file. As far as Piper was concerned, Angela's death had become a cold case.

'Accident my ass. That is a dumped body in an alley with the coroner's report _confirming_ the drugs must have entered her system just after her time of death. Accidental overdose. Some fucking police work this shitshow was.' She scowled and stared at the file.

Headphones in her ears were plugged into the computer, Piper was listening to the tiny bug she had left in the bathroom of The River Styx. It was a bold move, they were familiar with bugs and they took precautions to find and expunge them. She was betting on good fortune that they didn't find the one in the women's bathroom.

Right now, two women were talking to each other.

_I don't like it, Kelsey. I think this is going a direction we didn't want._

_I know, but what choice do we have? It's Liam's game and he's the one in charge of the rules._

_Kids in the bar isn't Liam's game anymore. The rules are mine when his business in the back starts to bleed into my bar in the front._

The other woman must have been Molly Fitzpatrick then, their grandfather had died last year and gifted the bar to Molly. At least according to estate paperwork and real estate transactions Piper had gleaned from the Neptune courthouse.

_You have to just let it be. It's just paper, Liam's the one who's really running this show. The bar has always been a cover, Molly, you know that. That's where the money comes from. At least if anyone looks at our books._

Someone slammed something on a hard surface, likely Molly.

_Keep those fucking kids out of my bar. It might be a front, but it's still my bar as far as I'm concerned. _

A door slammed and the woman identified as Kelsey sighed. It opened again, a man's voice this time.

_C'mon, he wants you back out front._

The door shut again and Piper's bug went silent. She pulled out the headphones and thumbed through the case file again. Angela had been too young when she died, same age as these boys Veronica had told her about who had come in the bar right when she left. She stared at one photo, a photo of the girl's face. Her eyes were whitewashed and pale, her lips blue, her long chestnut hair surrounded her head in a fan. It almost made her look like one of those dandelion puffs, the kind she was always bugging Piper to make a wish on. She smiled at the memory.

A knock on her door startled her and she started stuffing the papers back into the manila folder, "Just a sec!" she shouted.

"It's me, I came to talk to you about something." Veronica. Of course she wanted to ask, waiting two days to ask her about the file had probably eaten her alive by now.

"Okay, I'm coming," she shoved the laptop back into her dark leather bag and stuffed her headphones into a side pocket. Piper got up and trotted to the door, opening it to let Veronica in, "Sorry, I was putting clothes on."

Piper was lying again. Veronica was getting tired of her cat-and-mouse game, this wasn't like Piper to keep so much from her so often, "I came to talk to you about that case file I gave you."

'Of course you did.' Piper thought, "What do you want to know?"

They sat down on the couch and Veronica placed her purse on the table, folding her hands and clearing her throat, "Why did you lie? About The River Styx?"

Piper felt herself blush, she had hoped Veronica would let that one go, "It's a long story. Just part of the personal stuff I didn't want to tell you about."

"I'm stuck here for six months, maybe longer. Trust me, no story is too long."

Piper rolled around in her head what she could and could not tell Veronica at this point, what Veronica could and could not handle. The last two days Veronica had started to come back to herself, pull herself back from the precipice of sadness that she had been standing over for so long. Logan had been leaving Veronica's apartment again last night when Piper showed up to get the file, he was smiling and had been fighting a skip in his step.

"We've been talking, just catching up about everything," Veronica had told her, "I missed having someone to talk to who didn't know everything about all my baggage. I guess unloading like this is helping me, talking to someone who didn't experience it I mean."

Piper had smiled at her and nodded, she understood. There was no replacement for someone who had been what Logan had been for Veronica, not even the closeness between her and Piper had replaced that. She hadn't been offended by it, just called it what it was.

"He's not just someone to you, you know. Whether you admit it or not, he's bigger than that. Stop being an idiot and trying to pretend this is all just some Cloud Nine friendship you two are kindling."

Veronica stared at her, "Please. I don't want to do this slinking around and deceiving everyone thing, not now. You haven't lied to me so blatantly since we first started at the Bureau and you tried to convince me I had been transferred to the Daycare facility."

Piper smirked, she had forged transfer documents and packed up Veronica's stuff. Even then Daycare operators were in on it, it was hilarious, "I know."

Veronica waited for her to continue.

Piper sighed and pulled her hair back in an elastic, knotting it sloppily, "The file I asked for was on a girl I knew who died, but you knew that obviously. It was ruled as an accident by some asshole with the right color stamp and closed up, despite everything pointing to the contrary. The last place I knew where she had slipped into was The River Styx," she looked up at Veronica sadly, "That's the personal stuff I talked about. Solving a cold case."

So Piper had told a half-truth. Everything she told Veronica was real, she just omitted certain other details like how she knew the girl and that she had bugged the women's bathroom at the bar. Or that she knew Liam Fitzpatrick was doing some very unsavory deeds and she wanted to find out exactly what and destroy him. She also omitted the fact that Liam seemed to be at the center of Angela's death somehow.

Veronica nodded and put her hand on Piper's knee, "If you're going after a cold case, you know you've got a partner who's really good at those kinds of things."

Piper got up and grabbed her bag, not wanting to talk about it anymore, "So what's today's adventure going to consist of?"

Veronica shrugged and got up, "I figured we would walk around downtown for a while, maybe go up to Dick and Logan's." she had hesitated on the latter, it had finally come up that the spacious wood-and-glass house was shared with Logan.

Piper nodded, "Let's get a move on then." It was never 'a trip downtown', usually that meant Veronica was working on a case and wanted to follow someone around. She wasn't a downtown kind of girl, she was a 'stalk people downtown until you can catch them doing something bad' kind of girl.

They walked together to the elevator and into the lobby, not talking about a whole lot. They were both curious about the other's current business and were fighting the impulse to start questioning. It had been about a week without any FBI work and they were going to start interrogating each other if something exciting didn't happen soon.

As they strode across the lobby, someone called out, "Veronica? You're in town?"

Veronica stopped dead in her tracks and inhaled deeply, forcing a smile on her face as she turned around. Piz. Just what she absolutely did not need today, "Piznarsky! Hey. Yeah. I'm in town for a while, just blowing off some FBI steam, you know me."

She laughed nervously and awkwardly, Piper had turned around and was giving her the 'You're being an idiot' look. From what Veronica had known, Piz had moved to Boston and took over a radio show there, he was practically running the station according to their website. Not that Veronica had sought him out intentionally, but she may have punched his name into Google once or twice. It wasn't like 'Stosh Piznarsky' came up on every website this side of the Atlantic, he had been an easy find. Maybe through LinkedIn, maybe through Google Plus, nobody knows really.

Piz pulled his eyes away from Veronica for a second and he extended his hand to Piper, "Sorry, rude, I'm Stosh Piznarsky, but everyone calls me-"

"Piz. Yeah I've heard your name once or twice, maybe found it in someone's browsing history." Oh the glorious internet, what did people do before you? Piper shook his hand and glanced at a suddenly very uncomfortable Veroncia.

He put his hands in his pockets and nodded once, "Uh, yeah. How does blind dating even really work anymore? I feel like the era of awkward blind dates is dead. What happened, America?"

Piper smiled and kicked Veronica in the ankle lightly, "Yeah," Veronica said, recovering herself, "So why are you in Neptune? Don't you live in Boston?"

"Yeah, I do. I'm just in town for a conference this week. It's in the ballroom which is," he looked around, "somewhere…"

"I'll show you." Piper rolled her eyes, eager to be done with the intense awkwardness that had filled the room.

Veronica had talked about Piz at great length, he was her college boyfriend and the safest love she had ever found. Piz was good and always did the right thing, he was smart and funny and ambitious, he stayed out of trouble. Basically he did everything Logan didn't do and he was everything Logan Echolls was not, Piper had guessed Veronica went through some polarizing phase when she broke up with Logan and wanted to try the very green grass on the other side of the fence. Still, Veronica only spoke fondly about Piz. Piper thought she still missed him sometimes, too.

'This is a very complicated love triangle that I don't see myself staying out of at any point.' the realization made Piper sigh. She led Piz down the hallway towards where the map said the ballroom was, "It's nice to meet you, Veronica had always said good things. I can't think of a time when she did that hand thing in frustration when she talked about you."

It was a consolation, not an invitation. Piz didn't catch that, "She talks about me?"

"Talked about you. Yeah, we talked about the great loves of our lives and our failed relationships."

He had misinterpreted, repeating slowly, "Great loves of your lives. Well, I mean, that's flattering I guess."

Piper opened her mouth to explain herself, but they had reached the sign-in for that conference thing Piz had talked about, "Thanks. For showing me how to get here, I have a really hard time with hotel maps and yet not a single issue with programming an automated radio show while I'm down here. Ridiculous."

Piz smiled at her and shook her hand again, she put her hands in her pockets and watched him go inside. 'What did I just do?' she thought, feeling a twinge of guilt for the hope she saw in Piz's face when he turned around.

Veronica turned around and walked up to Piper quickly, "What did you say? You look like you want to be sick."

"I did a thing." Piper told her what she assumed Piz had taken away from their conversation, "I think he misinterpreted me and thinks you've still got feelings for him."

'Oh perfect, literally just perfect,' Veronica thought to herself, 'Now I'm not only trying to build bridges with Logan again, but Piz is in town and Piper's an idiot.'

"Why did you even talk about me! I can't...I just...Piper!" Veronica punched her in the arm.

Piper winced, "I'm sorry, okay. I didn't think he'd take it like that. Plus, what's the big deal? We avoid him for a week and he's gone. You always said you loved Piz for being everything he was, you told me so many times how you still missed him every now and then."

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean I want to start up a relationship with the guy! Piz is ...Piz is great, he's an incredible person. He's kind, he's funny, he's no drama. Piz doesn't get into trouble, I love and loved that about him, but it doesn't mean I want to dive right into my old college relationship again!"

They squabbled all the way back to the car and Piper apologized again. They drove downtown and parked the car when Veronica had told her to, "Wait, stop here. I see something."

She pulled her camera out of her bag and steadied it on the side of the car. The kid from the other day, Gregory, was coming out from behind a cigar shop Veronica knew well. She snapped some photos and waited.

"I thought you closed the case on this kid the same day you took it on?" Piper asked, watching Veronica closely.

"Yeah, this is freelance stuff," 'And I think Liam is up to no good and using these kids for whatever it is.' She didn't say that part.

Piper watched the boy and a few other men who came out of the shop and leaned forwards, "Get the faces of those two guys."

"Why?"

"The way they're looking at each other, they know the kid and the kid knows them." It was just a moment, but it was long enough to give them away. Veronica snapped some shots. Then Gregory and the two guys got into their vehicles and left, she packed up her camera and frowned.

"Veronica. They're just a couple of guys. Up to no good. They're going to start making trouble in your neighborhood." Piper stared at her blankly and Veronica rolled her eyes.

They headed back to Neptune and Piper dropped Veronica off outside some cluster of shops, "You sure you don't need to go get your car?"

"Yeah. I've, uh, got a ride." She waved Piper off urgently.

After a few minutes of standing there, the familiar black Land Rover pulled up and the window rolled down. Logan smiled at her, "How much?"

Veronica sighed at him, but she couldn't stop her grin and she got into the car. Logan didn't go anywhere for a second, he just watched her. Seeing Veronica get into his car like that was somehow a victory in his mind, he had started fixing what had broken between them so long ago. Veronica was still on edge, the most physical contact they had since he hugged her were her letting him rub her feet. Letting was a strong word, more like pushing them under his hands repeatedly until he did it. Logan hated feet, but he didn't tell her that.

"So, Sky Captain, where are we off to on this fine afternoon?" Veronica held her bag in her lap and looked dramatically forwards. She had agreed to spend an afternoon with Logan. After all, every night since he showed up on her porch had been spent talking on the couch or sitting out by the pool. She owed him at least a daytime encounter, so she agreed to let him surprise her.

He grabbed the steering wheel in mock - or real - excitement, "Prepare your pants, gentlemen, because we're picking up take-out and going on a real adventure."

"Please tell me it's to the Temple of Doom!" She jumped around in her seat.

"Stop trying to spoil the surprise, princess."

And that's how their drive went, joking and laughing, light-hearted. Things with Logan had been like that, light-hearted. He didn't pry into her New York drama because she still wasn't prepared to offer more, but Veronica knew he still wanted to know despite his patience.

They picked up burgers from some designer grill and he drove her up the mountain, to the cliff that looked down on Neptune. The two of them got out of the car and sat on the hood, eating and talking.

"You can't tell me Duncan's dad didn't take a dive off the deep-end after I cracked his hard drive. I mean, what man needs patrol dogs _and_ infrared sensors at every door after nine at night?" Veronica said through a mouthful of elk burger. She had to admit it was good, but she wouldn't admit it out loud at least.

"Yeah, I mean, I guess a guy kind of jumps the shark after a little blond girl sneaks through his doggy door and her Sheriff father tampers the evidence to keep her clear." Logan jostled her lightly with his elbow. They were quiet for a moment before she spoke again, more somber.

"I didn't get to do stuff like this with Josh, just sitting outside and watching the world go by. As much as I like to be up and moving all the time, it's nice to be reminded to take a break and watch the world for a moment."

Logan didn't reply, he didn't want to scare her out of talking about this. She went on, "You always made me do things like that, just stand on the balcony at the Grand and watch things happen. I missed doing that." 'With you, I missed doing that with you.' Veronica pulled her knees up and rested her hands on them, staring down at the town below.

Logan moved closer to her and pushed his shoulder against hers, "It's nice, you know, to just stop."

They sat there like that for a while, finally Veronica tilted her head slowly to rest on his shoulder, Logan tilted his head to rest against hers.

An hour away, Piper stood in the office of the Deputy at the San Diego Police Station where the report of Angela Boris had been written up. She was on her feet, fuming in his office, "You can't be serious?! You purged every copy you had of that report? The only one I have is this steaming pile of shit claiming it was an accident?!"

"Keep your voice down," he insisted, "or I'll have to ask you to leave."

"Ask me to leave? I'd like to see you try!" Piper flashed her FBI badge and he recoiled from her, "Who has a copy of the file? Who has one?!"

"No one!" he shouted back at her, "After her death was ruled an accidental overdose, we boxed the files and destroyed them after seven years. That's the rule, that's what we do, you should know that!"

Piper let out a scream of aggravation, then stormed outside. She slammed his door so hard the blinds fell off. She ignored the stares of the officers as she walked outside and got into the car, pounding on the steering wheel in frustration. How stupid could they be? Destroying a cold case like that? Claiming it was an overdose? 'Post-mortem injection, you idiots. It's _right there in the file_!' Piper though, heated in her own head.

She stared straight ahead for a few minutes before starting up the Spark and driving back towards Neptune. Someone had a copy, someone always had a copy. She just wasn't looking in the right place.

On her way through the lobby, Piper heard someone shout, "Hey!"

Piz waved at her and she waved back, he jogged up to her, "I realized I didn't get your name earlier so I just shouted hey and hoped you'd know."

She laughed slightly and remembered she hadn't given him her name, but had definitely gotten his, "I'm Piper, Veronica's partner in the FBI. We took leave together."

"So...Veronica is staying here, too, then?" He was hopeful, she felt responsible.

"No. Just me. Veronica is at her dad's." Piper didn't know how to also slip into conversation that Veronica was hanging around with Logan a lot lately, too. This love triangle thing was exhausting and she wasn't even a part of it.

Piz nodded and walked with her to the elevator, "I'm taking a quick break from all of the intoxicating conversation going on in there. Do you want to get a late lunch?"

'Using me as a door to Veronica? You crafty little shit.' Piper smiled and hesitated, 'Oh what the hell,' "Sure, I could use something. It's been a long day."

They walked to the restaurant in the lobby instead of the elevator and sat down. It wasn't at all unpleasant, Piper found herself genuinely interested in Piz's radio life to far even if he was just using her as a means to an end. 'Everybody's using somebody, at least this guy is nice about it.'

At the end of their late lunch, Piz knew all about Piper's background and where she was from, Piper knew all about Piz's career and his life in Boston. He hadn't even asked her about Veronica, but she hadn't even noticed.


	6. Awake My Soul

**Author's****Note:**I'm so stoked this is getting good reception. This makes me super happy. If you ever have suggestions for things I could change, please let me know. I want this story to stay interesting and keep people on their toes.

**Chapter 6: Awake My Soul**

Piper pulled the floral blue sun dress over her head and put her feet into her fanciest flip-flops, she had packed sensibly not for some beach party Veronica had told her to bring her to. She locked up the room - laptop and folder safely hidden from the cleaning crew - and punched the elevator to the lobby. After stepping off, she heard her name and looked over at the restaurant facade to see Wallace waving at her, he flagged her down to come to the table. Piz sat next to him and lifted his fingers to acknowledge her. Piper smiled and pulled her purse in against her when she sat down.

"Nice to see you again Wallace."

"Hey Piper, this is my buddy Piz. He's in town for some radio thing, thought we'd catch some breakfast." Wallace gestured at Piz who nodded.

"We've already met. I bumped into Veronica and Piper the other day." Piz corrected him.

Wallace made a face at Piz, "You what? Oh man, how did that go?" He looked at Piper curiously.

Piper leaned against her arms on the table and shrugged, rolling her eyes, "You know Veronica and her incredibly sunny disposition when her past pops up in her face randomly."

They laughed for a second before a waiter brought Piper a cup of coffee and refilled mugs for Wallace and Piz. Piz poured shots of cream into his and looked at her dress, "Where are you going out to?"

Piper suddenly felt like she was telling him something she shouldn't, "Just some beach barbecue thing at Logan and his roommate, Dick's. Veronica said I should dress nicely and I only brought one nice dress."

"Logan and Dick's?" Piz glanced at Wallace, of course he knew Wallace was probably invited and just hadn't said anything to him.

Wallace shifted in his chair, caught in a lie he didn't know he even told, "Yeah, they're having a few people over today to hang out on the beach and eat I guess. No big deal."

"You should come," Piper glanced between the two of them, both surprised at her candidness, "I mean literally things could not be more awkward for me already, what's one more bullet in a magazine?"

Wallace watched Piz and let him make his own decision, he seemed to roll over the prospect in his head, "I guess. I don't know, maybe. It'll be really awful."

Piper shrugged, "Whatever you want to do, nobody's twisting your arm."

He stirred his coffee absently, trying to make his next question sound conversational, "Veronica's going to be there, huh? Like...with Logan or…?"

'Ah, there it is. Yes, Piz, I accept the task of being your gateway into the World of Veronica without you even having to ask.' Piper smiled thinly, being used like that still kind of made her feel out of place, "With me. I'm picking her up in half an hour." She glanced at the small silver watch on her wrist and became very conscious of the time.

Piz was quiet for a few seconds. What good could come out of going? Then again, what bad? It's not like he and Veronica had ended on _bad_ terms, just on strange terms. It wasn't sudden or anything, but it still hurt like hell to think about. Early on Piz had missed Veronica a lot, he had listened to his break-up music and had gotten trashed in a bar with Wallace once or twice and brooded over the loss of his amazing girlfriend. Veronica _had_ been amazing, they had worked so well he thought they could just move past everything, past the Logan drama, past the P.I. stuff. Oh how wrong Piz had been in that moment.

"Sure." he said finally. It seemed to create an air of friction around Wallace, who was not interested in putting Veronica between a rock and a hard place at this stage in her life. She had enough on her plate, but the invitation hadn't been his to rescind.

Wallace looked at Piper and gave her a thin frown, she returned it with an almost imperceptible shrug, "I've got to get my ass in gear if I want to pick up Veronica on time. You can drive him, right Wallace?"

Piper didn't wait for a response, she just drank the last of her coffee and left the table. Wallace and Piz were quiet, Wallace eyeing Piz warily, "You sure this is such a good idea?"

"Nope." Piz watched Piper go.

Veronica gasped theatrically when she got in the car, "Well look at miss fancy dress in this car. Excuse me, do you have any idea where Piper Cowell went? She looks almost like you except much more serious and broody lately."

"Serious and broody?" Piper was shocked and let it show on her face, "Try tired and drinking too much. I am so _not_ serious and broody."

"Whatever you say, Pipe." Veronica buckled her seatbelt, filled with giddiness at going back up to the huge, mostly glass house. She had seen Logan every day since she had come back to Neptune, things between them had reached some ambiguous friendship where touching hands wasn't completely out of line. She still shied away from the topic of New York, still hid some of her pain from him, but Logan had been patient.

Logan had become such a patient guy in the years she had been gone, he seemed to have an endless supply of it in his pocket. It wasn't unfathomable to think that he would have turned out this way, understanding or at least good at trying, patient, and good at listening to her. Not in the way people did when they heard what you said and responded to it, but listened to her. He considered what she said when she spoke and gave her a reason for it to mean something, even her pain Logan had reasoned was the universe trying to find a way to get her to California.

"Sometimes a lot of pain leaves behind a lot of room to fill with good stuff, you know? Maybe the universe sent you back to Neptune to remember the good stuff." Logan stared at his hands, fingers had been threaded through Veronica's on the couch while they talked.

Veronica nodded and pulled her fingers away from his, then threaded them back together a few times, "Maybe."

"Are you finding any? Good stuff I mean." He looked up at her, anticipating nothing from her except the truth.

She smiled slowly, hazily and kept watching their hands, "Probably."

Veronica sat in the car and stared at her hands, smiling the same hazy way she had then. Piper glanced over at her, "Why do you have that stupid look on your face?"

"Huh? Oh. Nothing. Just thinking."

They parked the car in the driveway and the door to Wallace's Nissan opened, he got out and waved to them. The passenger side door opened and Piz got out slowly, too. He looked directly at Veronica and waved casually, but inside his stomach had knotted in on itself.

Veronica's face fell a little and he definitely noticed it, turning away to look at the house instead of dealing with that fraction of a second. Veronica looked at Piper as she walked around the front of the car, "Why is Piz here?"

"I invited him." Piper walked up to the house and Veronica was convinced Piper was trying to kill her, somehow she was trying to kill her and Piz being here was part of that plan.

Wallace hung back behind Piz and let him catch up with Piper, he walked sideways to catch Veronica, "I didn't invite him."

"I know, Piper did." Veronica sighed, "Does she want me to have a heart attack? I'm kind of wondering if we are actually friends or if I am just some experiment in humanity she is performing to see if someone can actually die from embarrassment and awkward situations."

He laughed and put his arm around her shoulders, "I wouldn't sweat it, Veronica. I'm sure she's just trying to be neutral."

The truth was that Piper _was_ trying to be neutral. Why should she favor Logan over Piz just because Veronica's heart had been swept up by the guy? Piz deserved a chance to see if he could make Veronica's pulse skip just as much as Logan did. It was becoming painfully clear that he didn't, Piz lacked some crucial element that grabbed Veronica by the soul and pulled her in. Logan didn't, Logan could look at Veronica and turn her to gel. Something about him knit their souls together, kept them bound forever.

Piper walked inside and let Piz follow her, looking around at everything, "Well I definitely didn't wind up making this kind of money. I used to brag about my penthouse but…" he whistled.

She turned around and nodded, "Yeah, but at least your place is less to clean."

"I don't have a housekeeper though, so they've actually got me on cleanliness here."

Veronica and Wallace came inside and followed the two of them out back. Music was playing loudly and they could smell grilling meat, Dick had set up some sort of volleyball net in the sand and was grabbing the beach ball.

He tossed it at some woman Veronica had never seen and waved at them, "Suit up, ladies! Time to get sandy!"

Logan stood at the grill in his board shorts and laughed, spearing a steak and flipping it. He looked back at Veronica and his smile got bigger, he signaled to her with the fork and she walked up to him slowly. Piz stared at her while she talked to Logan, their heads too close together for him to be comfortable. Something cold pressed into his chest and he glanced down at the beer Piper was pushing into him.

He took it and smiled at her, taking a sip, "She's avoiding me." Piz stated it, he didn't ask it.

Piper nodded, "But really how surprising is that?" she put her bag down in the patio table and picked a towel from the stack that had been neatly put out for them, placing it on top of her bag, "I hope you brought swim trunks. I forgot to mention this is a beachy swimming sandy kind of barbecue."

Piz shook his head and Logan walked past him, placing a plate of steak on the table, "No problem, man," Logan said to him, "I've got tons of extras. I'll show you."

Piz hesitated and smiled forcefully, "Totally. Yeah. Thanks." Piz followed him inside and rolled his eyes at Piper as he left.

Logan led him upstairs and into one of the bedrooms Piz assumed was Logan's. They didn't really talk much, Logan asked him how he was doing and reminded him it had been a while. Piz had to suppress the urge to pick a fight with Logan, he was better than that. Piz accepted the shorts and turned to leave.

"I'm sorry about...you know, the college beatdown thing. I don't know where my head was at, it was kind of a shitty thing to do to you." Logan extended his hand to him, "Are we still cool?"

Piz knew exactly where Logan's head had been, it had been swimming in the sea of need to protect Veronica. Logan had thought he was doing the right thing, he couldn't have know Piz didn't set up the camera. After all, nobody knew specifically who set it up, but they knew who had started the email chain.

It was hard for Piz to hold a grudge for that, he would have done the same thing. So he shook Logan's hand, "Don't worry about it, it's all cool."

Logan smiled, "Thanks."

He shut the door and Piz kicked himself. 'I should have just done it, I should have gone for it. No, _dude_, we are not cool. You distracted my girlfriend for her entire college career and you weren't even there, you made her build up walls around herself I couldn't ever break through because she had left the key to them with you. Veronica loved you from the start, she loved you when she was with me and she loved you when she was with someone else.' Piz had heard a little about Veronica's situation from Wallace, he had filled in the blanks of her journey back to herself with Logan's name. He changed and went back downstairs, determined to make himself at least enjoy free beer and steak.

Piper left her dress on the back of a chair and had joined Dick and Veronica and a few others out on the sand. Logan joked with Veronica about how she could snap a photo, but hell would freeze before she hit a volleyball. Veronica swatted at him and he grabbed her by the hips, dragging her backwards a few steps. The two of them looked out of place, much more playful than anyone else. Except maybe Dick.

"Get ready to be served some Dick shots!" he yelled and tossed the ball into the air, spiking it hard at the other side of the net.

Piz sat with Wallace on one of the lounge chairs and watched the game, "This is stupid, I should've stayed at the hotel."

He watched Piper for a moment in her blue bathing suit, she was competitive and it showed in the intense bumps she gave the ball. It also showed in her tossing one of her sandals at Dick when he missed a shot and tried to dance with her afterwards.

"They just _scored_, you moron. This is not a good thing!"

"Relax, girlfriend, it's just a game!"

"Winning isn't a game," she shouted sarcastically, "Winning is a lifestyle. And not one you picked up, obviously."

"Is that a comment about my decision, _decision_ to not have a boring job?"

They went back and forth until Logan intervened, "Just serve the damn ball, you guys."

Veronica reached out and pinched him in the side again, he chased her off the court down the beach a little until they hit the shore. Dick and Piper were yelling at each other again when Logan finally grabbed Veronica and they stopped running. He didn't immediately pull his arm away from her waist, instead he chose to hold her for a moment and let her lean back into him as she stared out over the ocean.

"I missed the ocean." She said, closing her eyes against the sunshine. Logan breathed in deeply and enjoyed her stillness for a few moments longer before letting her go. She turned around instead of taking a step away from him and they looked at each other without talking.

The panic swelled in Veronica again at their closeness, but not with the same fervent desire to run away that she had the last time, "Piper is looking into a cold case. I don't know how to deal with it or what I should do."

It was always a case with Veronica, Logan smiled wryly and looked up at the ocean, "Did you ask her about it?"

"Yeah, but she keeps lying to me."

"Maybe she just wants to work it on her own, you know. Let her sort her shit out for a while, don't push it. Plus," he put his hands on his sides, "you shouldn't be focusing on that stuff. Your job is to focus on being normal."

Veronica gave him a secret smile and shoved his shoulder gently, "Having no cases to work on is definitely not normal Veronica."

He nodded and pushed her shoulder back, Veronica gasped at him and pinched his stomach again. Logan stuck his finger in her ear and she smacked it away. They stood there again and let the water, cold and crisp, rush over their feet with the waves. Logan looked at the ocean, "You want to go in?"

"No way, it's freezing."

"Come on, let's go in." Veronica shrieked when Logan grabbed her and threw her over his shoulder, walking into the ocean. When he was waist deep he sunk down and dunked her under the surf, coming up to the surface at the same time.

She let out a frustrated cry and shivered dramatically, "It's _freezing_! Just like I said it would be!" Veronica was treading water where Logan was standing flat footed, shoulders over the top of water line.

"I forgot how short you are. Come here, I'll hold you up." Logan held Veronica by the hips and let her brace her feet on his legs.

She put her arms around his neck, even though she didn't have to. Part of it was instinctive, she just did it because it felt like the thing to do. Logan pushed her wet hair out of her face and bobbed in the waved with her quietly, they spoke in low almost whispers about the water and the cold. If they hadn't been talking like that, Logan was afraid he would grab her and kiss her right there. He didn't know Veronica was fighting the desire to wish he would.

On the patio, Piper had watched them running around together. She looked back at Piz who had a shadow of hurt on his face and she twitched her lips back and forth thoughtfully, "Wallace, Piz, we're down two. Get your asses on the field."

Piz shook his head at first, Wallace pulled off his shirt and jogged towards the court, looking back at his old roommate, "Come on, man, just play. Just one game. Get on that court and show these ladies what you can do with a volleyball."

"Nothing, actually. I don't do very much at all with volleyballs. If you hadn't gathered back at Hearst, I'm not really a sports kind of guy. I'm good at watching sports, just not really playing them. I'll play Judge Judy or whatever it is, ref maybe?"

Piper tilted her head at him and sighed, "Get up and get on the court, we need one more on our side. Don't be such a baby about it."

Piz tried to protest again, but Piper ignored him and kept goading him until he relented, putting his drink on the table and walking slowly to the sand, "I'm warning you that if we lose, I don't do well with taking flip-flops to the head."

"I don't dislike you enough to throw shoes, don't worry." she smiled at him and served the ball.

Piz had to admit it was fun, he wasn't very good, but it was still fun. He almost forgot that he had been feeling rejected until he looked out into the water and saw Logan and Veronica together. Trying to get it out of his system was easy, he just pretended the ball was Logan's head. Why did being friends with your ex suck so much?

The group of people, mostly people Veronica knew and Piper had met, found places to sit inside and outside while they ate and drank. Veronica and Logan had retreated off to the beach to watch the sun set into the ocean while they ate. Nobody seemed offended at the scarceness of the two of them, rather everyone seemed to be having a great time regardless. Piz and Wallace told Piper about college life and being roommates, she laughed and brought them all another round of beers.

He had been omitting any stories that involved Veronica, Piper noted. They toasted and she gave them a few highlights of her own experience at Berkeley, though not as colorful as their time at Hearst. Her phone buzzed in her pocket and she tapped the button on the top. An email with an attachment had come through to her, anonymous and hidden.

She suddenly frowned and opened it, the message gave away that it had been the Deputy back at the station: _Did some digging, I may have found what you're looking for. You've got a friend who hates sloppy police work as much as you do. - M_.

'M?' Piper thought. Hadn't the Deputy's name been Hurfeld? Who was sending her emails about her own case? Who had found the original police report and coroner's document back before it was converted to an accidental death case?

A few miles away, Keith sat in his office and stared into his outbox. Piper probably wouldn't know it was him at first who found the file, but she would figure it out.


	7. Photographs & Memories

**Author's Note:** This chapter is a little more Piper-focused to try and chug the plot along. Don't worry, the fluff doesn't end here I swear. I'm a loyal LoVe fan and I absolutely positively intend to write that part along. I'm headed out of town so the next few days will be quiet from me, but definitely going to update this when I get back.

**Chapter 7: Photographs & Memories**

Piper sat on the sofa in her hotel room and ran her hands through her hair, staring at the floor. She had taken the liberty of printing out every document and photo she could find in the file this mystery sender had given to her, it had even contained copies of the recordings done with witnesses at the scene. She had loaded them onto her iPhone and was listening to one of the stranger statements now.

_He just dropped her here, seriously. It was some guy in a blue car who pushed her out, why are they saying she collapsed there? That's not true!_

Harvy Oldman was the man's name according to the corresponding document and his statement was completely unlike the others. Everyone else gave the same story, she stumbled from somewhere down the road and just collapsed. Harvy, though, claimed that she had been pushed from a car into the alley and lay where she was shoved. He didn't see the driver, he only got part of the license plate, but he knows she didn't die there in that spot.

The photos had been taped to the wall, the police report had been laid out - both versions of it - on the coffee table in front of her. Piper played the statement again, listening so intently that she didn't hear Veronica's knock on the door. Veronica used her spare key and opened it, carefully walking inside in case Piper was still asleep.

When Veronica saw the photos taped to the wall, she just stared at them open-mouthed. She looked over at Piper who had been watching her and noticed the police report. No, the _two_ police reports spread out. Piper had headphones in and by the look on her face was not listening to music. She pulled one of the earbuds out and said nothing.

"Piper...what is all of this? What's going on?" Veronica had enough, she was going to find out what was with this case from the horse's mouth, "You have two complete case files on this girl. Who is she?"

"It's an old case, it's something I've been working on since I joined the FBI." Piper didn't hold back, she was too stuck in this case to try and keep going on her own, "It was ruled an accidental overdose after a few weeks of investigation, but originally opened as a murder file. Nothing in this thing adds up, it just got pushed aside and forgotten about." 'But I didn't forget,' Piper bit her lip, 'I never forgot for one day.'

Veronica sat on the couch beside her and shrugged off her wool jacket. She took one of the photos of the dead girl and stared at it, dead children always freaked Veronica out a little, "Why does it mean so much to you? Not that I think you're wrong to want justice, I just….I don't understand."

Piper sighed and wondered where to start, then she realized she didn't have to wonder. Veronica had been her friend, Piper had been shutting her out because she told herself she was too fragile to handle it, but really Piper had just been being stubborn. Now she was stuck, she couldn't link the Fitzpatricks to Angela's body completely, nor could she list a reason why. Veronica's case with Gregory Ford had started to open up a new window into Angela's murder - Piper still considered it a murder - and she began to explore other avenues, "She was my sister."

Veronica stared at the photo and back at Piper, "Your sister?"

"Yeah. She was younger than me by a year when she died." Piper didn't really want to explain everything right now, she just wanted a fresh set of eyes.

Veronica had left the door open and a gentle knocking on the door drew their attention, Piz leaned into the room sheepishly. Logan pushed past him and stopped in front of the coffee table, "I was waiting to see how long you'd- is that a picture of a body?!" Piper jumped.

Piz stepped into the room and looked apologetically at Piper, "I'm sorry, I was headed back to my room. Logan was just standing there in the hall. I guess we're on the same floor, I should have just closed the door or something. I just walked in and this looks like a crazy thing you're doing - not like that, not like crazy person crazy just like intense crazy."

He was rambling. Piper got to her feet and shook her head, holding up her hand for him to stop talking, "Can we all just stop for a second here? I'm really uncomfortable with this many people being all up in my business like this," she looked at Logan and took the photo from his hand, "Yes, that's a body. No it's not creepy. Can we just leave this alone?"

Piper gathered everything off the table and pulled the other pictures off the wall and rested them face down on the counter. She turned to look at the three of them, all staring at her while she shoved papers into a manila folder, "Can you stop staring at me now? Can we pretend this really personal thing didn't just happen?"

Piper didn't like people she wasn't completely familiar with knowing her personal shit. Veronica was one thing, she was an extension of Piper's own self. She deserved to know. Piz Piper barely knew except for a few long conversations, Logan was Veronica's...something or other who she kind of knew, but not well enough to start passing off her own drama.

Logan looked at Veronica and she looked back at him, "Yeah...whatever you say I guess."

"Sure." Piz chimed in. He jerked his thumb at the door, "I'm sorry for barging in, I'm just going to head back to my room and get some sleep."

Something about the whole situation had lit Piper on fire, she was defensive like a dog backed into a corner. Unfairly, she thought in retrospect, she snapped at Piz, "Piz what are you even doing here? Didn't your conference end yesterday?!"

He took a step back, surprised, "Yeah, I'm taking some time off work for a while though. I wanted to stick around Neptune." He took another step back, "I should really just go."

Piper sighed heavily and covered her face with her hand, "No, no. I'm being a bitch. I'm sorry, you don't have to leave," she turned to Veronica and Logan, "What did you guys want?"

Piz stood in limbo, she had said not to leave but this was really tense and he wasn't sure what to do. So he took another slow step backwards and waited for Piper to dismiss him.

"W-we're going to get dinner and wanted you to come," Veronica's expression was sad, she almost didn't want to make Piper leave the room at this point, "but you don't have to."

"No I should take a break. Let me get changed." Piper left the living room with Piz standing there, still awkward, and Veronica and Logan saying nothing to him. Piper came back out of the bedroom after a few minutes, jeans tucked into flat gray boots and a loose gray button up half done over a deep scarlet t-shirt. She pulled her hair to the side and tied an elastic around it to keep it there, loose and curly, over her shoulder. She looked from one person to the other, still uncomfortable that they were in her room.

Piz took another step back and she caught him with her eyes, "Is he coming, too?" Piper asked.

He shook his head, "No, no. I don't want to be a fourth wheel, I'll just go back to my room." 'Fourth wheel? What the fuck is wrong with me.' he thought, turning around and leaving the room before they had a chance to change their minds.

Piper looked back at Veronica and Logan and motioned for them to leave first. She grabbed her purse and followed them downstairs. Logan drove them to a small Chinese place downtown and Piper noticed his hand at the small of Veronica's back while they walked inside. She also noticed how much of a third wheel she had started to feel like.

They say down inside and ordered their food, nothing exotic or out of the ordinary. Piper started the conversation first, still burning from all of these people have knowledge of her current personal task in some degree, "So, Logan. You produce movies and you throw kick-ass barbecues. What else do you do?"

"I surf," he told her between mouthfuls, "That's about it actually."

"Well that's pretty cool. I don't think I have the balance to get up on one foot in the morning."

"Let's talk about something interesting, though. Talk about this cold case thing, Veronica's been bugging me to talk to you about it." Piper was surprised Veronica had told him so much, she was coming back from Josh it seemed. It shouldn't have been as surprising as it was, though. Veronica had avoided the papers, the case proceedings, the investigation notes, the coroner's report. None of it had passed by Veronica's eyes in days. Piper was okay with that.

She swallowed hard and pushed the food on her plate around, "I'm just...having trouble connecting some people. I've got this girl who was obviously murdered and the police department let it be covered up for whatever reason. I've got a prominent drug dealer, but nothing linking the two of them together. She was diagnosed as an accidental overdose despite the obvious injection sites occurring post-mortem. I know this drug dealer is involved, but I can't really figure out how."

"Do you know who was dealing for him? Did she get mixed up in something like that?"

"No," Piper shook her head, "she wasn't that kind of girl."

Logan gave her a cynical smile, "Nobody is ever that kind of girl, but somebody always turns out to be."

Piper nodded slowly and appreciated Veronica changing the subject. She talked about helping Keith with some surveillance tonight, "Some guy cheating on his wife, blah blah blah. You know, important P.I. stuff."

Logan nodded and glanced at Piper who had stopped eating, "Do you want some company? Or is that against the P.I. rules?" he looked back at Veronica.

She pushed against him with her elbow, "No rules I don't establish for my own stakeouts."

They finished dinner uneventfully, Piper was quieter than she normally was when they dropped her off at the hotel. She pushed the button to get in the elevator and prepared to hit her button.

"Hold it!" someone shouted.

She held it and let Piz charge into the elevator like a bull in a China shop. He was out of breath, "Thank you- Piper! Hey. Thanks for...holding it for me….nobody ever does."

Piper smiled and nodded, still feeling pensive. He watched her and pushed the button for their floor, "Everything all right?"

Finally someone asked her about herself. Not the case, not her work, not her past, but about Piper. Present and here, bogged down and under stress. She shook her head violently, "Not even a little. Weren't you going to sleep like two hours ago?"

He put his hands in his pockets, pushing aside the casual black blazer he was wearing, "I lied, deal with it. You need to talk or something?"

For some reason, she was blinking away tears, "I probably do, but it's really a matter of if I want to. I do want to, but I just feel like I can't."

Words just poured out of her mouth, "This was supposed to be a vacation for Veronica so I can't talk to her about some stuff, I don't want to push this off on her or make her have to deal with my emotional crises as well as hers. I just feel like I'm dealing with this whole thing on my own."

They got off the elevator together and he walked with her to her room, not talking and just letting Piper pour her heart out, "Everything is wrong and it was so obvious then and it's even more obvious now. I want to help people, I joined the FBI to help people, why don't I feel like I'm helping anyone? I feel useless and superfluous, I'm extraneous. I have been designated redundant, I can't even solve a basic case in a small town. This is such bullshit."

Piz didn't exactly follow what she meant, but he knew she had been keeping these words inside for a while now. They stood in front of Piper's door while she wiped tears away before they fell. He put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed it, "I'll be honest, I have no idea what you're crying about. Do you want to go sit down inside? They've got a mini fridge full of liquid courage. God knows I don't have anywhere to be tomorrow, I can hang out with you if you want."

Piper did want company tonight, she had been isolated and alone almost since the third day she and Veronica had been in Neptune. Veronica was distracted and she was allowed to be, she was so absorbed in 'mending bridges' with Logan that she had put Piper on the back burner. Veronica meant well, but she was trying to move on from everything that happened in New York in her own way. Piper didn't hold it against her, she just wished someone would be there for her, too. Josh had been her friend, he had been her companion as much as Veronica's boyfriend and it seemed like nobody cared.

Piz followed her into the room and opened the mini fridge while she went into her room to change. By the time Piper came back in a pair of plaid pajama pants and a tank top, Piz had started shaking together some sort of juice and vodka concoction. She pulled the elastic from her hair and re-tied it up in a ponytail, taking the glass he extended to her. They sat down on the balcony, enjoying the night as they drank.

Veronica sat in the car with Logan, her eyes and camera lens fixed on an office building in front of them.

"I forgot how boring your stakeouts are. They look more exciting in movies." He chewed absently on a piece of licorice.

Veronica made a face at him, "This is most of the job, just sitting and biding your time." Lights in the building came inside and she started snapping photos. Logan watched her fondly while she worked, he liked watching Veronica survey someone. It brought back memories of their early, electric days when they first started dating.

"Bingo," she said, taking a shot of a man in a suit pulling a woman in a skirt in for a hard, unabashed kiss, "Money shot."

Logan laughed and shook his head, "I don't get it, how can people stay in relationships they're so unhappy in? Why not just leave?"

"Some people don't have the stomach to leave, they think they need to stay for whatever reason. Usually rich married guys don't want to give up half their shit to their unhappier wives." Veronica packed up her camera and they sat in the Land Rover.

"Were we ever like that? To the point of unhappiness that we would just stay together for the sake of it?" Logan stared at the lit up office now.

Veronica was almost shocked that he had said something like that, "What? Of course not! We were never like that, that kind of unhappy. We just...we kept getting smacked in the face with circumstance, it drove us in different directions. Everything got so fragile and then the Madison thing," she trailed off and swallowed hard at the bitter memory. Even now it left a foul taste in her mouth.

"Yeah, the Madison thing," Logan's old regret washed over him again now, "I wish I had been smarter, hadn't been such an immature jackass."

"You weren't a jackass, you just didn't think."

"Yeah, I also forgot I was dating someone who is embittered against the world and felt like everything had a meaning." Logan smiled at her to let her know he meant it fondly.

He started the car and began to drive Veronica home, "I don't regret it, our relationship. I don't regret it at all. I just wish everything had gone differently, the drama and bullshit had just left us alone."

Veronica looked at her hands sadly, "Me, too. I wish things had happened differently, but at the same time I really don't," she turned slightly in her seat to face him, "If none of it had happened, we wouldn't have been who we were. I don't regret a second of what we were. That kind of feeling comes along once in a lifetime and we both let it slip out of our hands, that's the only part of it I regret."

They were quiet for the rest of the ride back. Logan walked Veronica to her door and kissed the top of her head goodnight. She waited at the door and watched him walk away for a few seconds before looking down at her keys, trying to find the right one.

"Veronica?" Logan stood at the end of the hallway.

Veronica looked up at him and he started walking towards her quickly, she dropped her keys and ran towards him. Veronica threw her arms around him, letting him lift her up in his arms and pull her tightly against him. His lips were on hers, like fire against her as he kissed her deeply, passionately, with wanton abandon. Logan's hand grabbed the back of her head and she pressed her palms to his cheeks, kissing him back again and again. Logan stumbled backwards into the wall and held Veronica against him, breathless when he pulled back. He stared directly into her eyes, searching her for something.

Veronica breathed heavily and put her hands on his, moving them away from her gently. She tilted her face up and kissed him again, wordlessly turning and walking back to the door. Veronica bent to get her keys and stared back at Logan, still leaned against the wall, keeping her eyes on him while she unlocked the door. She smiled at him and he smiled back, finally turning and walking back down the stairs.

Nothing would ever compare to the rush, the electricity, the static and fire that coursed through his veins. Veronica collapsed onto her bed and touched her lips lightly, curling up around a pillow to try and contain the thrumming of her heart in her ears. For the first time in a long while, Veronica felt alive. She felt the blood in her veins coming to life, like every fiber of her was coming awake.

Back at the Neptune Grand, Piz and Piper sat on the floor, backs against the couch. Small liquor bottles lay empty along the countertop and they shared their second bottle of champagne that room service had been kind enough to bring to them. Piz had abandoned his blazer and undone the first few buttons of his shirt.

"Seriously? An overdose?," he gave an exasperated sigh and took a swig from the bottle, "Cops are so annoying. You know what?" he shook his finger in the air, "Private Investigators are annoying. Making you fall in love with them like it's nothing. Assholes."

Piper nodded and snatched the bottle from him, "No, no, seriously. An _overdose_. I can't hardly deal with it. I don't even, Piz. I just don't even. PIs are the shit, they're so chill. They find shit and people and whatever. That's a chill job, that's cool," she pointed at him with the bottle, "Veronica loved you back, she just...I don't know. She got too Veronica for her own good."

"Bah, I know she probably did, but not the same way. Not like _Logan Echolls_," Piz added a bitter inflection when he said the name, "I'm sorry I am an Oregon-born radio host from the bitter warlands of the northwest. Not quite enough money in my pockets to be a badass Hollywood has-been's son. Fuck that guy, he's the asshole."

Piper laughed, "It's not about money, stop making it about that. You're a good guy, Piznarsky. Veronica and Logan just...are. I can't even explain it, it's just weird like that."

"Maybe I should get a tattoo or something, prove my badass...nes." Piz drank again.

"Only if it's a fucking sweet wolf tattoo."

"On my _face_."

"You're too cool."

They sat there on the floor and complained about the world around them, Piper eventually stumbled to her feet and cleared the couch off. Piz flopped down on it and she pulled a blanket over him. He had already rolled over, partially passed out, and mumbled a thank you. She patted his head and walked into the bedroom, laying down on top of the covers. Piznarsky was a good guy, he was good enough to hang out with a sad FBI agent and talk about how cruel life was to both of them.

'Pretty cool guy after all. Veronica didn't emphasize that enough.' Piper remembered thinking right before being hit with the urge to sleep like a sack of bricks.


	8. Signal In The Sky

**Author's Note: **I'm planning to try and upload one more before I leave tonight. Now everything is cohesive in my brain and I just have to get it on paper.

**Chapter 8: Signal In The Sky**

It was after nine in the morning when Piz finally felt himself waking up. His head pounded and the weak sunlight made his eyes burn, but he let out a long groan anyway and pushed back the blanket Piper had given him. He rubbed his eyes and stared at the ceiling for a second, hearing a low murmur of conversation from behind the closed door to Piper's bedroom. It stopped abruptly and he heard movement behind the door, but his head had been throbbing too intensely for him to discern anything from the mumbling.

The door opened slowly and Piper poked her head out at him, "I thought I heard you. Bad morning after?"

Even nodding made his temples scream and Piz groaned again. Piper walked to the faucet and poured him a glass of water, handing it over to him with a small travel pack of Tylenol. He muttered a thank you and took the pills and water, the water was sweet and cold in his throat. It was heavy in his hungover stomach and made him want to be sick. Piz swallowed hard and moved slowly to sit up on the couch, Piper patted his back reassuringly, "Don't worry, just stay hydrated and you'll feel good again in a few hours."

He could only manage a groan, standing up slowly and stretching out. Piper stood with him and he noticed she had already showered and dressed for the day, she must have woken up and let him sleep. He managed a small smile, "Thanks for letting me use your couch. I'm not sure I could've stumbled the sixteen feet to my own room without getting cited for drunk and disorderly in public."

She nodded and grabbed her purse and keys off the counter, "Anytime. Thanks for talking with me last night, it's been a few weeks since I've had the chance to just talk to someone," she motioned to the door, "I'm going to go grab something to eat downstairs, do you want to come?"

What Piz wanted was a shower and some clean clothes, but he nodded anyway. Greasy food sounded better than clean hair right now. They walked out to the elevator together and into the hotel restaurant. Piper let him be quiet and spoke softly, minding his already abating headache. Small talk mostly, the kind of conversation you have in the morning before you're really awake despite the fact that she was definitely awake. He was grateful for that, the little things like that Piper was good at.

Piper looked up in time to see Wallace, suited up and ready for the day, walking slowly towards their table, he gestured between the two of them, "So, you two are friends now?"

Piz looked at him tiredly, "Drinking buddies," he corrected him, "Those are very different things."

Piper smiled and looked down at her watch, "Oh shit, I have to run. I'm supposed to meet someone in L.A. in an hour."

Piz gave her a small wave while he drank his coffee, Wallace sat down at the table across from him and they both watched her leave. Wallace looked over at Piz, still watching the door even after Piper had left, "You still going to hit up Veronica and talk?"

Piz shrugged ambiguously, "I'm not sure. We had a good talk last night, I'm not sure it's even really worth it anymore to talk to Veronica."

Wallace nodded slowly, surprised, "Really? So now you and Piper are talking about your baggage?"

"It's not like that," he shot him a look, "She just made a good point that I can't completely remember. I feel weird about it, like I know it won't fix anything," Piz thought for a moment, "Something about Logan and Veronica just _being_. It's not the kind of thing you fight, it's the kind of thing you step aside and let happen."

They sat at the table and talked it over, Piz had decided to take Piper's advice and let it happen. Talking to Veronica wasn't going to change her mind, she had never worked that way and Piz knew that. More than likely, it would probably have made things between them worse.

Veronica was lying in her bed, awake and unsure if she had ever actually slept. Her head was a swirling mass of emotions, she had no idea how she felt. Kissing Logan had been sudden, impulsive, and terrifying, beautiful and perfect and natural all at once. Lying in bed over-thinking it had made her chest tight with everything she was trying not to feel. Veronica had let her emotional self lapse for a few weeks, trying to keep every feeling in order and use it appropriately. Logan had just broken that pattern of organization and thrown all of her new rules for herself out the window, he had always done that. Logan didn't ever care about the rules, particularly not when it came to Veronica. She smiled at the thought, finally deciding she had enough and got out of bed. Keith had already left, a note on the fridge reminding her he had files to work this morning. She had no appetite right now and couldn't decide if it was because of happiness or fear.

Clearly she saw Logan's figure standing outside, hand poised to knock. She couldn't stop herself and threw open the door, probably more vigorously than she should have, but Veronica didn't care. He was holding a bag of bagels and smiling, "Well good morning to you, too."

"Hey." She stepped aside and let him in the apartment. He paused when he was standing directly in front of her, leaning down to kiss her gently and quickly.

Heat surged in her blood and she closed the door behind him, leaning back against it. Logan stood at the island in the kitchen and started slathering half a bagel with cream cheese, looking up at her with a quick smile, "What? Not supposed to do that?"

Truthfully? Veronica had no idea what he was and was not supposed to do. Neither of them had settled on anything, had decided if they were a relationship thing or an amorphous thing. She settled on a shrug, "I'm not really sure what you are and aren't supposed to do anymore."

He pushed a plate out to her and she sat down, Logan watched her eat, "Me neither. You're not the only one who doesn't exactly know what to do here."

He leaned on his elbows and they sat quietly for a while. Veronica put her hands in her lap and Logan walked around to her again, putting one hand on either side of the counter behind her. He leaned in close and kissed her forehead, "We don't have to rush this, this doesn't have to fall into some sort of routine. I get it, you know. I get that you're on the fence about everything because of…you know."

She nodded, Veronica did know. It was still weird, she still had guarded herself against someone coming into her life like Logan had without even realizing it. He had come in like a whirlwind and thrown all her walls to the ground like paper, torn them down like they were nothing. It wasn't easy, trying to fix the trust part and especially not with the Logan she knew now. He wasn't the same as he had been when she left, the choppy water of Logan's life had calmed and he had started to try and straighten himself out. The troubled boy he had been was in his past, Logan liked keeping it there.

Veronica touched his chest gently, "I know. I'm going back to New York eventually, you know, when it's all over. I'm just nervous. I don't want you to think the grass is greener with me than someone you can actually have a future with."

Logan kissed her again and smiled, his eyes were alight, "Veronica, there is no greener grass for me, there never has been. You are the greenest grass I will ever know."

She smiled and kissed him again.

Down in Los Angeles, Piper had parked the Spark on the street and stared at her phone's GPS screen. She looked up at the tall apartment building and walked inside, hunting down the door she was looking for. She knocked gently once, harder when nobody answered the first time.

The door cracked open and a ragged looking man in his late fifties opened the door, the safety chain caught it and she could only see his face and some of his chest, "What?"

"Harvy Oldman?" he nodded at her suspiciously, "I'm Piper Cowell. We spoke this morning?"

Harvy held up a finger and closed the door, she heard the chain unlink and the door swung wide. She stepped into an apartment minimally furnished and in need of a few repairs. Piper's eyes scanned the water-stained ceilings and the eroding carpet on the floor. He gestured for her to sit on the couch and sat in an armchair across from her, "What do you want to ask? I told the cops everything I saw on that file years ago."

Piper nodded understandingly, "Yes, I know. The thing I can't get off my mind, though, is why? Why is your story so different from the others?"

He scowled, "Because my story isn't a _story_, Miss Cowell. Mine is the _truth_."

"All three of the other witnesses said in some capacity that they watched her fall there in that spot."

"They're lying, they weren't even there. I was the only one in that alley when that girl was dropped there, she was dumped there and definitely looked like she was already dead." He insisted.

Piper pulled out a notepad from her purse and clicked a pen to life, "Can you tell me everything again? About that day?"

Harvy recounted his story to her, he had been on a smoke break at the kitchen in the alley. It was empty and half-dark in the dawn when a blue sedan pulled up to the edge of the alley. The rear passenger's side door opened and the body was pushed out, the man who pushed her made eye contact with Harvy just for a second before slamming the door. The vehicle took off an he had run to the end of the alley in time to catch the last three digits of the plate. He checked the girl that had been pushed out, but he knew she was dead when he had watched them shove her out of the car.

"It was only me who saw it, those other three are liars. It was four in the morning, nobody was on the street and there wasn't a car on the road except that one."

"Could there have been windows they looked at?"

He shook his head, "No," Harvy said sharply, "It's a windowless alley on both sides."

Piper nodded thoughtfully and closed the notebook, sliding the pen through the spiral and getting to her feet slowly. Harvy followed her to the door, "Thank you, Mr. Oldman. This was very helpful."

He nodded back at her, "Can I ask something though?"

"Anything."

"Why are you asking this stuff again? Didn't the other man get it recorded?"

Piper frowned, 'Other man?' "What other man?"

"You know, the bald guy. The detective."

Piper's eyes narrowed as she thought about it all, was he talking about 'M'? Was 'M' working on the same case as she was? Suddenly, it dawned on her. The detective, the bald guy, the M.

'M. Like Mars.' Piper smiled secretly to herself and said her goodbye. She got back into the car and sat for a few minutes, rolling it all over in her mind. What was Keith doing? Had he been in the station that day? Piper hadn't really taken stock of everyone in the station so it was possible, but not so possible she would have missed her own partner's father. She smiled and shook her head, amazed at her own density, 'He's got the office bugged.'

She put the car in gear and pulled away from the curb, heading a few lights before she began to notice a strange thing behind her in her mirror. The same SUV, black and nondescript, had pulled away at the same time and hadn't made a motion to turn off. Piper frowned, she was being tailed by someone. This wasn't the first time she had such a thing happen, but just in case the pulled a small .22-caliber handgun from her purse and laid it on the seat. She kept her hand on it as she flipped a sharp and sudden U-turn in the middle of traffic, ignoring the blaring horns from angry drivers. The SUV hit its breaks hard and tried to make the same turn, but it was too big and the road was too small. Piper never got a large car because of things like this, time in the FBI had made her paranoid and she always chose the small, nimble, maneuverable car over the luxurious clunky one. She had only bought herself a few seconds, but it was enough. She pulled off onto a side street, now a few car lengths away and darted into a busy parking lot. Piper grabbed a space and quickly shut off the car, sinking down as low as she could in the driver's seat.

Though this wasn't the first time, she had never been alone when these things happened, her heart was pounding as she watched the vehicle in her mirrors. It moved slowly and the window rolled down while it passed the parking lot. There he was, his face as plain as day: Danny Boyd driving the mysterious car following her. Piper smirked and shook her head, 'Amateur. Rolling down a window and showing your face? Rookie move, son.'

He scanned the lot and couldn't pick out the Spark, pulling away and driving down the street. He made two more laps before giving up, Piper felt relief when she saw him turn the opposite direction she had been circling. She relaxed in the seat and moved back to sit normally. Her grip on her gun relaxed and she put it back in her purse, taking a moment to fold her arms over the steering wheel and absorb what had just happened. How had they known where she was? Why would they be having someone tail her?

'It can't be my phone they tracked, it's untrackable. It's got to be Harvy's line. After all this time? What's going on, your Irish bastards.' She thought, starting up the car again and driving back towards Neptune. She was painfully aware of all the vehicles and all the drivers around her, careful to get on and off the freeway a few times before she could drive normally.

Veronica texted Piper later in the afternoon, long after Piper's harrowing moment with the Irish and after she had already put all her information back up on the walls. _09ER tonight. Come._

Piper smiled at her phone, there was Veronica again being more and more like she had been when she first joined the Bureau. Curt texts, anticipating a good time. Piper had missed that part of her.

She took a long, hot shower and sat down in the tub, enjoying the steam and the scalding heat washing over her skin.

Veronica looked up suddenly, waving Piper over when she saw her walking into the bar. Logan smiled and waved at her. Piper waved back and stopped for a second, staring down at their intertwined hands. She raised her eyebrow at Veronica who had a slight blush to her cheeks, "Well good evening you guys. I see it's off to a good start?"

Mac suddenly sat down at the table with them, passing a glass to Veronica, "This line is ridiculous, I'm starting to miss being a hermit. Hey Piper, nice to see you again."

"Mac."

Mac looked up and waved at another familiar pair who had walked in the door. Wallace waved back and Piz followed him, waving as well. They both filled the other two seats at the table and Piz looked at Veronica for just a second, long enough to make Logan tighten his grip on Veronica's hand. The same possessive harndness fell across Logan's face and he tried to force himself to be friendly anyway, "Hey Wallace, Piz."

Piz just nodded and looked at Wallace, "You want anything, man? I could use some water."

"No vodka and tonic?" Piper smirked at him cheekily and he shook his head vigorously.

"I'm good forever on those, actually. If I never drink again I might die a happy man and my liver a happy liver." He got up and walked to the bar, coming back with a water and two pints of something. One he handed to Wallace and the other to Piper.

She accepted it and looked over at Mac, "So how does it feel being the only one here still a resident of Neptune and the only one with some sort of a real job?"

Mac shrugged, "Lately it's felt kind of normal. Even this, this terribly awkward situation that's making everything really tense and claustrophobic thing? This even feels kind of normal."

It was true, tension still hung around them like a flashing strand of Christmas lights, the kind everyone hates but nobody ever stops someone from putting up. Piz and Veronica exchanged a look and he excused himself to refill his glass. Veronica watched him, something like sadness rested on her shoulders, responsibility for putting this on him. She got up and touched Logan's shoulder reassuringly, walking towards the bar. Piz turned around and stopped suddenly, she was right in front of him.

It took her a second to decide what exactly she was going to say to him, "I'm sorry, you know. I'm sorry for everything I did to you."

He nodded slightly, "So we're talking now? You want to exchange words with me?" it was catty, but he couldn't help it.

She sighed heavily and shook her head, "I should've just talked to you. Things have been…strange these days for me, I just needed to figure out what it was I even wanted to say."

He shrugged, "So say it then."

Veronica was hurt by his curtness with her, his frankness, but she couldn't begrudge him that, "I think Piper gave you the wrong impression about things. I talked with her a long time ago, we were just discussing our past and our lives. By great loves of my life she meant people I had been with for a long time. I don't want you to stay in Neptune thinking she was trying to imply I still had feelings for you. I don't want you to stay here because you think there's a chance to fix what we were back then."

Piz gave her a cynical smile and took a step towards her, close enough that she had to look almost directly upwards to see him. He spoke quietly, but firmly to her, "Veronica. What makes you think for a second that _you're_ the reason I'm still here?"

He stared at her for a second to let his statement sink in, content when she said nothing, standing there with her mouth slightly open in shock. He stepped around her and walked back to the table purposefully.

Logan got up, having kept his eyes on the two of them the entire time. He walked to Veronica and put his hand on her back, "Everything okay?"

She stared at him and looked over her shoulder back at Piz, laughing with Mac and gesticulating about something, then back to Logan, "I think I just got rejected by the guy I was rejecting."


	9. Shame On Me

**Author's Note: **I took some comments into consideration and expand on Piz and his presence in Neptune a bit more. I also wanted to lighten it back up, so I went back to some root material.

**Chapter 9: Shame On Me**

Wallace sat with Piz on the balcony of Piz's hotel room, feet propped up on the patio table. He chuckled and took a long drink from a bottle of water, "You said _what_ to Veronica?"

Piz laughed and shrugged, "I was being an asshole, I feel kind of bad about it now. I guess it's just the result of a slow acting poison that comes standard with college breakups," he ran his hand through his hair, long since trimmed down after college, "I should apologize or something." It wasn't that he wanted to mend things, not at this point, he just felt like kind of a dick.

Wallace tilted his glass in Piz's direction, "So level with me, man. Why are you still here? She obviously had made her choice here, but you stayed anyway."

He shrugged, "I guess I didn't take some time entirely for Veronica. I mean, don't get me wrong. Internally my college self is dying to write her some angsty poetry or maybe send her flowers, but my grown-up, successful self who has been down that road before is trying to remind me what a bad idea that is."

"So which one is winning?"

"Grown-up self. I just wish I had some sort of anti-venom to get this weird bitterness out of my system. Do women just have some sort of fangs that we don't notice until they hug you for the last time?"

Wallace laughed and shook his head. They talked for a while until Wallace decided he was sober enough to drive himself home. Piz opened the door and let him out, Piper almost walked with into him and she let out a startled cry.

"Oh lord! I'm sorry, I'm not looking where I'm going." she laughed and kept walking, waving briskly. Piz waved back absently and noticed the camera in her hand, she was dressed in all black with a camera pack slung over her shoulder. She turned around and hurried into the elevator, hitting the Door Close button before Wallace got there.

"What's she rushing off to do?" he watched the doors closed, Piper locked eyes with him until the doors cut her off.

Wallace shrugged, "Don't know, man. I'll see you tomorrow, all right?"

They enjoyed a bro hug of solidarity before Wallace went to get the second elevator.

Piper hurried out to the rental car and climbed in, pushing her bangs out of her face. 'How can my timing have managed to be so terrible?' she decided to just make something up when she got back. Piper started the car and headed downtown, she parked in the lot across the street from The River Styx.

After all she had done during the day, it was time to try and get something solid at night. She balanced the camera on the dashboard, fixed on the rear door of the bar. Veronica was the one who was good at these photo stakeouts, Piper mostly did the interrogating. This wasn't the kind of thing she wanted Veronica involved in, whether or not she knew what was actually going on. Piper snapped shots, men communing at the back door around cases of meat that didn't seem to be headed to the fridge any time soon. She got photos of the labels, faces, some fuzzy and some not. Then some of the younger men who walked up to them. It took Piper a moment to make them out, but there were absolutely not over the age of twenty-one. They started to walk inside, then came back out. A blond woman - Molly Fitzpatrick probably - was shouting at them.

Snap. Snap. Snap.

The boys stayed outside instead, a small block of cream cheese or butter or something was handed to them by a man with light brown hair and a scruffy looking goatee. Piper's eyes narrowed. Liam Fitzpatrick. Her shutter finger clicked over and over, documenting the exchange of money for dairy products. The boys left and the men went inside. Piper waited for a few minutes to see if anything else would happen, but it seemed to have ended for the night. The neon signange on the bar facade dimmed and the lights downstairs in the bar went out. That meant it was after two in the morning. Upstairs, only a few lights went out and a few stayed on. Piper watched the front of the building until she heard the sound of an engine starting up somewhere down the road, a Crown Victoria drove slowly past her and she didn't need to look at the driver to know who is was.

Exhausted, Piper threw herself down on her bed. The red digital clock read well after three a.m. and she groaned, covering her head with her pillow. It felt like she had been out for a few minutes, not five and a half hours when the alarm went off. She got up and went to work, pulling the photos off the card and trying to enhance the, but Piper was bad at this part. She cursed at her PhotoShop program and slammed her hands on the table.

Finally caving, Piper dialed Veronica, "Hey. Good morning. Is this a bad time?...Oh, no I just thought you had someone with you."

Veronica laughed nervously, swatting at Logan as he went to mess with her feet, "What? No. Of course I don't! What do you need?"

"I have a favor to ask you, can you come by and help me with some photos?"

"Photos? What photos?"

"Just...please come help me before I slowly rip apart the very soul of this evil piece of technological wizardry."

Veronica laughed and promised she'd come help and ended the call, Logan dug in and went after her feet. Veronica started screaming and laughing, kicking out at him violently. Keith had been out all night, Logan offered to stay with her for some nebulous reason that she didn't intend to fight with him on.

It hadn't been anything other than talking until they fell asleep, something Veronica didn't remember them doing even when they were dating. She told him about most of it, how her relationship with Josh had almost been too perfect for her to handle, "But that's what sociopaths do. They make you think that everything is good so long as it benefits them, they use it as a front for their abnormal personality manifestations."

Logan frowned, his arm had been around her shoulders and she was playing absently with his hand and fingers, "You said you even went on some vacation and everything seemed normal."

"Well yeah," Veronica had told him "But it's not like a serial killer needs to kill someone every night, it takes time and consideration."

He nodded, trying to understand.

Veronica got out of bed and got dressed, Logan watched her with a careful smile on his face, "Where does Piper need you?"

"Her hotel. She's having trouble with the magic voodoo box she calls a laptop." She pulled a t-shirt over her head and kissed the top of his head while she pressed a spare key into his hand, "Please be gone when my dad comes home."

He smiled at her as she left and promised he would be. Veronica climbed into the Saturn and made her way to the Neptune Grand Hotel. Piper opened the door and ushered her in, pointing at the laptop, "I suck at PhotoShop. I can't make it enhance or anything. CSI makes it look like all I have to do is yell the word algorithms at it a bunch and I have a flawless photo from all angles."

Veronica sat on the couch and rolled her eyes, pulling the laptop towards her, "So what are we enhancing today? Photos of….The River Styx?" she looked at Piper, "Pipes, these are stamped last night."

Piper shrugged, "So?"

Veronica shot her a look and shook her head, turning her attention to the computer. She cleared up the images and focused on the faces, "This is...Liam Fitzpatrick and Danny Boyd. These two I don't know. I know this kid is Gregory Ford, but the kids with him I don't think I've seen him with before," she identified the figures in the picture without being asked, moving on to the next one, "Why is Liam giving Gregory's friend a pound of butter?"

She looked at Piper expectantly, Piper folded her arms and looked down at her feet, "I think he's using the kids as distributors in the local high schools. I also think….I think Angela might have been one of his distributors and something happened. So he killed her and made it look like an accident. It sounds more and more like he paid the witnesses."

"I'm sorry, _sounds_ like he paid them?"

"K- my mystery email pal sent me sound clips from the interviews. Everyone lines up perfectly except one guy. _Perfectly_, Veronica. Their stories are rehearsed. When I met with the one guy who didn't, he told me what he saw and he stuck his heels in the sand about it. The fact that Danny Boyd was in a car following me around kind of gives it awa-"

"_Following you?!_" Veronica exclaimed, "Now you're being tailed by Irish gang drug dealers?! Piper what are you doing! You have to drop this case!"

Piper shook her head stubbornly, "I can't drop the case, I can't let it go. Not like everyone else in my life has done! I have to finish this, Veronica, do something to bring the guy in."

Veronica shook her head at her. She understood, she really did, but this was supposed to be time for rest and relaxation, not chasing down bad guys like they had been doing. She got up and shook her head at Piper again, "Fine. But stop going on these little adventures alone. If you're being followed, you need backup. That's Feds 101, Piper, you're not an idiot."

Piper nodded, someone ashamed, "I just don't want anyone to get hurt."

Veronica hugged her, "And I don't want you to get hurt. Please take backup next time, okay?"

Piper promised and they sat on the couch, Veronica's phone buzzed. She checked the messages, _Going to catch waves. Bonfire tonight. Bring Piper?_

She smiled and clicked out a response, _Sure. See you tonight xx_

She and Piper decided to spend the day inside, killing time with Pay-Per-View and going over the file together and the photographs Piper had taken. Veronica still didn't know what Piper's endgame was, neither did Piper.

Together they got off the elevator in the lobby of the Grand, beachy shorts and tank tops, towels slung over their shoulders. Piz, eyes turned down at his cell phone, pushed between them and towards the elevator.

"Hey," Piper said, turning around and slowing their pace, Piz looked up at her and gave her a half smile, "We're headed to the beach for some bonfire thing Veronica roped me into. Do you want to come and keep me on suicide watch?"

He laughed and Veronica shifted nervously in her sandals, looking from Piper to Piz. Her expression was indeterminable, but she felt uncomfortable by what he had said yesterday, "Not so sure I'm very welcome right now."

Piper elbowed Veronica and she smiled, renewed and falsified enthusiasm making her voice higher pitched than it needed to be, "Of course you are! Come join us. I mean, if you aren't too busy."

Piz held up his hands and tried to come up with a reason not to go. Being on vacation and the conference being over left him with nothing, so he sighed in defeat, "Uh, sure. I guess. Give me five minutes."

Piper nodded and turned to wait with Veronica, frowning when she saw her expression, "Am I not supposed to invite him places? I think we're friends in some weird way that I'm also friends with his ex-girlfriend and if the three of us are in one place it makes it painful."

Veronica smiled and sighed, "No, no. Invite him places. I guess I was the one with the wrong idea is all, I'm embarrassed I cornered him about it is all."

"He's happy for you and Logan. He didn't know when he decided to extend his stay, don't blame Piz. Now he's stuck on some vacation he didn't realize he didn't want until it was already set." Veronica nodded slightly, she should have cut him at least a little slack.

The elevator chimed and Piz walked towards them in his own board shorts and a t-shirt. He stopped and leaned back on his heels, looking back and forth between the two of them, "I'm not really sure what proper bonfire attire is, but I figured it's just regular beach. With fire."

The headed out to Veronica's SUV and drove down to the beach. It wasn't hard to find the crowd, a huge fire in the middle of a sandy deserted beach. This time, it wasn't like the barbecue. This was swarming with people Piper and Veronica both didn't know.

Logan came up from behind Veronica and grabbed her around the waist, kissing her cheek, "Well, well, well. What do we have here? A couple of lovely ladies I seem. C'mon, lets get you something to drink." Logan led Veronica to a cooler across the crowd.

Music thrummed in the air and everyone seemed to be laughing. Piz put his hands against his back and looked around, "This is not exactly the bonfire thing I was prepared to body guard you for."

"Uh, yeah, me neither. That doesn't take suicide watch off the table though," she looked at him and grinned.

"Hey, check it out. There's Mac and chairs, let's sit."

Piper followed him as they threaded through the crowd and yelled over the music, "Mac and chairs. Resorting to puns? Veronica said you were funny."

"Veronica lied," they stole up beside Mac and grabbed the two empty beach chairs next to her.

She made a mock excited face, "And here I was thinking I would have the luxury of spending this entire night on this chair without a single soul to talk to."

Piz headed off and came back with three bottles of something cheap and they talked loudly over the music. Piz looked up after a while and stared at a couple swaying by the fire, Veronica and Logan. They were so close he wasn't sure a sheet of paper could come between them, whispering to one another interlaced with kissed.

Piper looked over at him and followed his gaze. She sighed and shoved her beer in the sand, getting to her feet.

Mac looked up at her, "No, no, please don't go. Please don't leave me here."

She waved her hand at Mac, "You hold the fort, if someone touched that beer with anything other than my hands you lay the beat down on them."

"Where are you going?"

Piz was looking at her now and she extended her hands out to him, "Come on. Dance with me. Stop this whole broody ex boyfriend act and have fun, you can't wallow in self pity for your entire vacation."

He smiled sadly and shook his head at first, but she insisted. Piz relented and handed Mac his beer, taking Piper's hands and following her into the crowd. It helped, dancing and telling her stories from his internship. Eventually they were both too out of breath to do anything but laugh.

The night moved a little faster for both of them. Piper's mind was too tired to focus on the photos and the teens, Piz too tired to notice Logan and Veronica sneaking back to his Land Rover and leaving Veronica's keys with Mac. He also noticed he was too swept up in talking and dancing to feel sorry for himself either.

Veronica sat in the passenger seat, laughing loudly, "What are we even doing! I'm ditching my friends at a bonfire where they know, what, one other person?"

Logan smiled at her hungrily and turned into the driveway of the huge beachfront house. He helped Veronica out of the car and they jogged inside, "Your friends are very capable, my lady. They will find their way home, they're like horses that way."

He kissed her, placing his hands on her hips and leading her backwards towards one of the doors in the living room. Logan opened the door and walked backwards, pushing Veronica's hair out of her face while he kissed her again and again. His foot hit one of the posters on his bed and he winced slightly.

Veronica laughed against his mouth and pulled back, looking up at him. Logan picked her up and turned, sitting her on the soft, plush mattress. Her expression became hazy, lustful, and she grabbed his cheeks and pressed her mouth against his with a sense of urgency she wasn't sure she had ever felt before. Logan hoisted himself up on the bed on top of her, pushing her back into the sheets. His hand found its way to her hips, fingertips lightly shifted under the hem of her shirt. He pulled back and looked at her, his eyes roaming over her face as he asked a wordless question.

Veronica pushed herself further onto his bed and kissed him again. Logan shoved his hands under her shirt and pulled it over her head, scrambling to pull his off as well. He kissed her neck, her shoulder, her collarbone. He moved down her breast bone and to her stomach, then back up to her mouth again. Logan was drawn to her, over and over again he was drawn back up to her face, her hair, the curve of her neck.

Veronica gasped and wove her fingers into his hair, desperate and hungry for his touch again and again. By the time she had drifted to sleep, naked and sticky with sweat both hers and Logan's, it was almost dawn. Logan curled himself around her, wrapping his arms around her and squeezing her against his chest. Everything about his skin was hot and uncomfortable, but Veronica didn't try to move away or cool down. Everything, absolutely everything, in this moment was completely perfect. She slept straight through the first alarm, Logan chose instead to grope aimlessly until he unplugged it. When they both woke up, more Logan waking Veronica up with soft kissed against her neck, they did it again.

She finally managed to get into the shower. Veronica felt refreshed, new, born again. Everything about the world around her seemed to be falling into place like she had wiped the dirt and grime from her eyes and skin, but up until that night she had not realized she had even felt dirty.


	10. Cold In California

**Author's Note:**Because nothing is ever perfect, I'm mixing it up a little. Of COURSE I can't just leave Mac and Dick on the back burner, so it's time to make them both more relevant.

**Chapter 10: Cold In California**

Intellectually, Veronica knew it was a dream. Everything about it screamed at her that the was dreaming, but she couldn't stop herself. She was back in New York, not in Montauk but in the city this time. Everything around her was bathed in a bright red hue and hazy around the edges of what she saw. Veronica was sprinting through the streets by the harbor, panic throbbed in her chest like a fist pounding on her heart. Her blood froze or curdled or boiled all at once in the throes of terror she felt surging through her, but she kept running on these dream streets. She looked back over her shoulder and saw someone walking towards her as quickly as she ran. In her bones she knew it was Josh, or not Josh exactly, but something like him. A hand grabbed her shoulder and forced her to turn around, Veronica screamed. Josh pulled back the hood of a long black robe and smiled at her, not in the way he used to but something dark, primal, terrifying. His teeth seemed sharp and terrible, his hands were covered in dark red ooze.

"Veronica," he said, "I'm coming. And there's nothing you can do to stop me."

Veronica reached up and yanked his hair, his face seemed to peel off his shoulders like a mask. Underneath Josh's mask, Logan frowned at her furiously, "Now why did you do that?"

A knife she didn't realize he was holding lashed out and slit her open across the stomach, Veronica watched her insides pour out of her like jelly on to the ground. All she could do was scream.

Veronica's eyes snapped open and she was sitting bolt upright in Logan's bed, sweat dampened the sheets around her. She still felt the waves of panic tearing through her body and she couldn't catch her breath, it felt like her lungs were closing up. Logan's hands were on her, one on her back and one on her shoulder, he was whispering calming things to her that she didn't seem to hear.

"Veronica, you're shaking." Logan said tiredly.

She looked at him, startled as though she just realized he was next to her in bed, "I...I have to go. I have to see Piper about something."

Veronica was cold and shut him out while she was changing, ignoring his pleas to tell her what was wrong. She smiled weakly and kissed him lightly goodbye, practically tripping over herself to get into her car. She didn't leave immediately, instead she leaned her head back and sighed. Veronica didn't realize she was crying and didn't know when it had started.

Piper groaned when she heard the enthusiastic knocking on her door, hoping to ignore whoever it was until they went away. Whoever it was had no intention of doing so and let her know repeatedly with their fist. Finally, she rolled herself out of bed, pulled one of the bathrobes around her, and walked to the door. Through the peep hole Piper saw Veronica standing outside, jacket pulled tight around herself looking pale.

Piper opened the door and let her in, "Hey, are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine." she was jittery, her voice reflected it. Veronica sat down on the couch and stared up at the photographs Piper had taped to the wall again, "I've been thinking about this whole teenaged drug dealer thing, and I think I have an idea."

Piper watched her, concerned, but listened to Veronica's idea. Veronica pulled her phone from her purse and dialed, "Hey, Mac, I have a favor to ask you."

Mac pulled up to Logan and Dick's and saw no sign of Veronica yet. She climbed out of her car and pointed at the house, "You, inside."

Her younger brother, Ryan, climbed out if the car. His hair was long, bangs covered one eye that he refused to touch to move and instead just tossed his head to move them. 'Note to self,' Mac had thought, 'To be cool, resemble horse.' Face buried into his cell phone, Ryan walked towards the house without looking at her. They walked inside the house, unlocked and seemingly empty.

Mac looked around, "Veronica?"

The way her voice echoed back at her told her she was alone, Veronica was late. Dick walked out of his room upstairs and stared at her from the balcony, "Ghostworld? Why are you in my house?"

'The novelty of high school nicknames just never seems to wear off,' Mac told herself, smiling pleasantly, "I'm supposed to meet Veronica here, she said to bring him. Do you know when she is coming back?"

He shrugged and walked down the stairs to the fridge, opening both of them a beer, "Nope. She took off this morning. Logan left, but he didn't say anything."

Mac accepted the bottle and sat at the breakfast bar, looking over at her brother who had made his foxhole the couch. Dick gestured at him with the bottle, "Why are you bringing a child manservant around with you."

She signed at him, "That's my brother Ryan. Veronica told me she wanted to talk to him, she didn't say why."

He nodded approvingly, "So Ronnie is hunting down a new young, supple beau. Nice."

"I'd appreciate it if you didn't treat my brother like a sexual object."

"I'm just calling it like it is, GW." Dick shrugged at her and leaned across the table, shouting at Ryan, "Hey. Youth. What grade are you in."

Ryan glanced at him and shot him an irritated look, "I'm a senior. Also not deaf so I don't know why you're yelling."

"Right on, senior year was awesome. Have you been to any sick blow outs this year?"

"No. I don't drink." Ryan was curt, dismissive.

Dick frowned at him and looked back at Mac, "No offense, but your brother is kind of a nerd."

She shrugged and took a drink, "It runs in the family I suppose." The irony of her statement was lost on Dick.

"Please tell me I never looked like this much of a douchebag when we were in school," Dick moved to lean against the counter next to her and they both stared at Ryan.

"You never needed to externalizers your douchebaggery, Dick. It was a shining year for you." She patted his shoulder reassuringly.

Ryan looked up at them and glanced from Dick to Mac before looking back down at his phone, "He likes you." Ryan said flatly.

Dick and Mac exchanged glances and Dick grew immediately defensive, "Dude, what's life like when you have no ability to talk to girls?"

"Why don't you tell me?" Ryan snapped back.

"I wish I could, but I don't have any experience living with no game."

Mac gestured, outraged, at Dick, "You realize you're twenty-six arguing with a seventeen year old, right?"

Dick was about to respond when the door opened and Veronica half ran, half fell inside, "Sorry, sorry, sorry! I'm late, I'm the asshole!" She was carrying a folder and she ran to Mac to give her a hug.

Mac smiled and hugged her back, "It's ok, we were killing time." Mac looked over Veronica's shoulder and watched Dick as he backed away and headed outside. She gave him a small wave before he slipped outside and turned her attention back to Veronica, "So what is it you needed my brother for?"

Ryan was already standing up at the counter, opening the file Veronica had put down and staring down at a number of photos. Veronica looked over at him, "Hey Ryan, nice to see you again," Veronica gave him a quick around-the-shoulder hug.

Ryan stared at the clearest of the photos, "What's all this stuff for? A case?" He looked at her and assuaged her surprise, "I listen to Mac when she talks about her friends."

Part of Mac was touched, the other half still curious. Veronica pulled a fine tipped sharpie out of her purse and handed it to Ryan, "Can you tell me who these other kids are? The ones without their names already written down?"

He nodded and jotted down the ones that had been missing on the paper, "Everyone knows these guys, they're all drug pusher assholes. If you're going to mess them up, I'm happy to help."

Mac nodded slowly, Veronica had the choice to scour a yearbook and hope she could match faces or find someone who knew their faces already intimately. Smart. It had taken less than five minutes for her to save herself weeks. Veronica thanked them both and walked with Mac out to her car, "Are you okay? You seem off."

Mac glanced back at the house. Dick had been standing in the kitchen watching them but pretended he had been staring at his phone and just happened to be facing their direction. She shook her head, "No, I'm good. Just a weird day I guess."

Veronica waved at the back of Mac's car, watching while the Genesis pulled away and Logan's Land Rover pulled up. She felt swept up in a cold wind again when she saw his face, recalling her dream. 'Nut up, Veronica. It was just a dream, stop being a baby.' She told herself.

Logan got out of the car cautiously and walked up to her, he placed a hand on her cheek and leaned down to kiss her softly. Veronica sighed, her whole body sighed, into him and she felt stupid for being so afraid of a dream. Logan pulled back and whispered softly to her, "Are you better now?" His eyes searched hers, always searching for the truth with Veronica when she took flight like this.

Veronica nodded and looked down, she was only telling half of the truth, "I'll be fine. It's just been a weird day," she looked up at him again and smiled, "Take me to Piper's? I have to give her something."

Logan smiled and nodded, aware he was given half the story and pushing aside the frustration of it. He had been trying to give Veronica slack, trying to be perfect and understanding and calm for her, but it was waning. In his heart he wanted to be eternally understanding and present for Veronica, but if she expected him to be or if he expected himself to be then she needed to stop telling him half of what was running through her mind. They were both beyond that, too old for it anymore.

Logan and Veronica climbed into the SUV and headed towards the Grand, Veronica brought up Mac's weirdness, "Did I say something?"

"I doubt that Veronica. You don't say anything." He immediately regretted saying it. Veronica's expression hardened.

"What are you trying to say?

There it was, his perfect opportunity to tell her exactly what he wanted. Logan took a deep, slow breath, "Nothing bad, just that you've been dodging any conversation about yourself lately." 'Good, no need to be a total ass.' He thought.

Veronica looked down at her hands, painfully aware she had been and unable to stop herself, "I know. I'm just not good at it, talking about my feelings all the time. Some habits die hard, I guess."

Logan changed the subject and asked about Ryan and how he helped, Veronica explained why she decided to use him. They parked at the Grand and took the elevator to Piper's room, Logan knocked. She answered after a few seconds and let them in, looking eagerly at Veronica, "Yes? No?"

"Yes," she handed her the folder, "Much faster than sifting through the yearbook on a wing and a prayer."

Piper gave an exaggerated sigh and pulled out the labeled photo, taping it up between a dozen or so others. She stepped back and stared at the collage, "Now all we need is some red string and we are back at work."

Logan had walked around into the living area and was staring at the photos, studying them harshly. His expression revealed his distaste for the side project Veronica had picked up and she knew it, trying to keep her demeanor defiant when he spoke to her, "You said you weren't trying to get involved. Veronica, this is involved. This is extremely, completely, totally involved. Is this what's been messing with you?"

Veronica looked outraged, "Excuse me? No! I told you, nothing has been 'messing with me'. I'm fine, this is just a favor for Piper."

Piper said nothing, uncomfortable and letting her eyes follow the conversation. Logan was obviously fighting his own annoyance with her, "There's a fine line between doing a favor for someone and becoming intimately involved in someone else's problem. No offense, Piper, but Veronica doesn't need this right now."

"You don't get to tell me what I do and do not get to do. You're not making the rules up, here. You and I aren't even dating, this is my decision."

Logan didn't want to fight, he didn't want to argue with her. He just wished Veronica could see how much he wanted to help her and be there for her. Sometimes being there for someone meant telling them the harsh truth to bring them back to reality, but Logan wasn't interested in that with Veronica today. He waved passively and walked towards the door, "I'm not helping you with this anymore."

Veronica started to go after him, but Piper stopped her with an arm across her chest, "Let me handle it." Piper walked out after Logan down the hallway, calling for him even when he refused to stop. She finally caught him in the elevator, "Would you give me a minute here?"

He refused to look at her or say anything to her.

"I tried not to involve Veronica at all, I kept it from her for the first few weeks we were here, but you know how she is. Any secrets around Veronica have a tendency to come up, either because she gets someone to say them out loud or she digs them up herself." The elevator doors opened and Logan walked out, she followed. Finally, Piper had enough and grabbed him hard around the arm, he spun towards here, "Look, Logan. I didn't ask for her to get involved because I didn't want it to affect her. As much as I usually hate to admit it, our boss was right and she needs time to be a normal person."

He stared into her eyes and jerked his arm away, "She woke up screaming you know. This morning. Then she took off like a bat out of hell and didn't call me for hours."

Piper frowned and narrowed her eyes, "Screaming?" Logan nodded, Piper nodded back thoughtfully. She didn't say anything for a few moments while she rolled the thought around, "Let me put my pet project on hold for a while, get things leveled out. If I need help, I will ask both of you."

Piper had been worried about Veronica getting involved for exactly this reason. She knew it would get under Veronica's skin and the amount of scarring Josh left behind would eventually surface. Everyone was hiding something, some people were better than others, but there was always something that made them come clean about it. Logan waited in the lobby while Piper went back up to her room and talked to Veronica.

"V, I think maybe he's right. I should put this project on hold for a few days, it's starting to get to both of us," Piper didn't feel it pertinent to mention the insomnia that seemed to have set in since her stakeout, "Just a few days. Let's get our bearings back and come at this with fresh faces."

It surprised her when Veronica didn't fight back, it meant the time Piper spent downstairs had also been spent calming Veronica down. She had realized on some level that working this diligently wasn't going to end well. It was something else, too, something Veronica didn't want to talk about until she absolutely had to. The fact remained that in five months they were due back in New York City.

Veronica left with Logan, Piper pulled down the photos and put them in the folder again. She sat on the couch and stared at the file. Logan was right, this wasn't such a good idea, not just for Veronica but Piper as well. She was doing the same thing, drowning in work and forgetting to deal with things. It seemed a staple of broken FBI Agents to continue to immerse themselves in their files so deeply that they couldn't see the sun and forgot what problems that didn't involve forensic sciences looked like.

Piper stood in front of a door down the hallway, she knocked slowly and Piz shouted from inside something she couldn't make out. After a minute he opened the door and smiled at her, but her expression made that fade quickly, "Did something happen?"

She shook her head and shrugged, "Not really. Well kind of. Do you...do you mind if I sit and talk?" It was weird, talking to someone other than Veronica, but Veronica seemed to be keeping her own secrets right now so why shouldn't Piper?

He shifted nervously, "Uh, I don't know. It's not really a good time."

Piper was a little surprised at Piz's answer and found herself a bit hurt by it, but she took a step back, "Oh, yeah, of course. I'm sorry, I don't know what I was thinking." She smiled at him with a level of forced cheeriness that was uncharacteristic, even to Piz, and turned to walk back to her room.

Piz stepped into the hallway after her, not quite sure why or what he would say, and he watched her disappear behind her own door. Piz frowned and leaned against the wall, still staring at the closed door. Why had he turned Piper down? It wasn't as though he was very busy, just absorbed in his own self pity that he had decided to take today to deal with. Piper had never come to his door before, he shouldn't have been so distracted by his own baggage.

Piz's phone rang and he got dressed, nothing fancy just a t-shirt and jeans, and ran down to go meet with Wallace. After a while, he found himself feeling a little guilty about what he had said and feigned the need to return to his room. He came back up and paused at Piper's door.

Piper sat on the balcony, curled up in her pajamas on a lounge chair. She watched the sun setting over the purple-blue water of the pacific. Even from that high up the sound of waves teased at her ears, making her crave a good book.

Piz never knocked on her door, something scared him away from it. Instead, he met with Wallace at the bar and went out into the city for the night. He didn't enjoy himself, he didn't find himself interested in Wallace's attempts to get girls to talk with him, he wasn't very good at carrying on a conversation.

Wallace, frustrated at Piz's complete social ineptitude all night, finally broke, "Man, what's bugging you? You've been totally quiet and stuck in yourself, this is turning out to be a wash."

Piz shook himself out of it for a second and tried to think of something witty to say, "Would you believe me if I said I'm concerned about the future of modern America?"

Wallace gave him an exasperated look and Piz sighed, "I was sort of a jerk to a friend. I think I walked away when she needed me."

"Do you have to get back and fix it?" Wallace didn't bring up the possible subject of Piz's statement, Piz gathered that he didn't have to.

Piz shrugged, "I don't know what good it will do me now."

"Then stop dwelling on it and enjoy yourself."

And he tried to, he made an honest effort, but it all felt forced. His thoughts kept drifting back to her face when he said he was busy, the drop in her shoulders and the telltale dullness in her eyes. Piper had been sad Piz didn't want to talk to her. He wasn't sure if the knowledge was helping or hurting him.

Piper was still awake long after midnight, she had spent the evening walking the streets and having dinner by herself in the hotel. It was lonely, she was lonely. Veronica had stayed with Logan after that afternoon, Piper had heard nothing from her. She had no phone number for Mac and doubted she would want to hang around Piper without Veronica. Wallace was unreachable on the phone, but had been kind enough to text Piper when he had a bit of down time between drinks. And then there was Piz. He had become an impromptu shoulder and friend to Piper, she had let herself grow attached to his availability while Veronica had become more and more unavailable to her. His spurning her tonight had surprised her, but she felt it was justified. After all, Piper was new here, nobody had any obligation to her.

A knock at her door got her off the couch, she opened it and ignored the peep hole. Piz, intoxicated, stood leaning against her door frame. He smiled at her hazily and she had to push back a laugh, "What are you doing here? Go back to your room and sleep."

He laughed and shook his head, "I wanted to say sorry for being a jerk, I ditched you and that was a dick move."

Piper didn't open the door to him, he was drunk and needed to sleep. Instead she leaned against it, "You're not obligated to talk to me. You are, however, obligated to go get some sleep, Señor Cuervo."

Piz took a step towards her then and kissed her, not hard, but definitely drunk. Piper almost jumped back out of surprise and pushed him away, "Whoa, son. Slow down there. Time and place is quintessential to this whole first kiss thing and drunk outside my hotel room is almost an insult."

He stared at her, confused for a moment, "Oh. Oh shit. I'm sorry. Uh. Wallace took me out and I drank a lot. I'm just," he jerked his thumb towards his own door, "going to go to bed."

Piper sighed and looked at him fondly, "Okay, champ. That's a really good idea." 'I will give you a free do-over on this one. Drunk kissing someone should never count.'

Piper closed the door and shook her head, laughing to herself. She laid down on her bed and flipped on the TV, sleep crested over her and rolled down her body like a gentle fog.

In his own room, Piz passed out heavily, unaware he would recall almost none of this in the morning.

Back at Logan and Dick's, Veronica had pressed herself into Logan's naked back while he slept. Her arm over his chest and her fingers threaded through his, he squeezed her hand unconsciously and she sighed against the back of his neck. Veronica was wide awake, too scared to sleep for fear that she might have that dream again and in the morning Logan would be the enemy again. The last thing in the world Veronica wanted was to wake up feeling like Logan was the bad guy, the guy who had chased her with the hope of eviscerating her on the street. She shuddered and Logan rolled over, Veronica saw he was awake too.

A hand brushed against her cheek and over her hair, he stared at her deeply and said nothing. Veronica felt her eyes burn and she blinked back tears, "I'm sorry." she whispered.

Logan kissed her forehead and pulled her against him, "You have nothing to be sorry for, bobcat."

She sighed and felt her shoulders shaking as she cried. The dream played over and over in her head and made her cry harder and harder, but she couldn't find a way to talk to him about it, to tell him what it was that had made her so distant. Veronica knew it was the fear of being this close to someone again, she knew it was her instinct acting against her desire.

Logan didn't ask her to explain herself, crying into his chest had been enough bearing of her soul to appease his frustration. Instead, he held her and let her sob until she felt heavy in his arms, asleep no doubt. He didn't sleep, Logan lay awake staring at her and calming her down when she started to have fits in her sleep again.


	11. All At Once

**Author's Note:**This is a long, fluffy chapter. Mostly for fluff's sake, but also for story's sake. This chapter is about normalcy more than anything.

**Chapter 11: All At Once**

Veronica slowly pushed the door to her dad's apartment open, trying to avoid making any sound when she stepped inside. 'Twenty-six, an FBI Agent, and I'm sneaking inside from sleeping at Logan's.' she thought while she turned to close the door slowly. When Veronica turned around, she saw Keith standing in the hallway holding a cup of coffee, hands in his bathrobe pockets. She gave a small scream and hopped backwards, "Dad! You scared the crap out of me!"

He stared at her with the weight of judgment in his eyes, "You haven't spent a single night at home in over a week. Do you think I didn't notice that you weren't home?" he walked to the coffee pot and poured another mugs, handing her the other, "You left your door open. That's no very sneaky."

Veronica sheepishly poured milk in her coffee and sipped it, "Sorry. I've been safe though."

He nodded slowly, "Ah yes, I imagine Logan's place is very safe." A blush crept into her cheeks and she said nothing. Keith shook his head slightly, "When one of his neighbors comes to me asking about the little blond girl and if she's my daughter, I start to get suspicious."

"You traced me."

"I'm a loving father. I loving fathered you." He kissed the top of her head and put his mug in the sink, "You got a fancy looking letter in the mail. We both did, actually, but one of us is on a job. It's on the fridge." Keith went into his room and she heard the shower start.

Veronica plucked the silver envelope off the magnet and peeled it open, her face fell with dread. In swirling black letters:

_Miss Veronica Mars,_

_You are cordially invited to attend the Neptune Country Club's fortieth annual charity ball._

_Wednesday, May Sixth at Eight O'Clock in the evening._

_Regards,_

_Margery Wagner_

_Neptune Country Club Coordinator_

If Veronica had come home a few days earlier, she could have planned for this. As it stood, the event was tonight and she had very few personal reasons not to go. Her admission ticket was included in the envelope and she had access to a Plus One, but Logan likely got one, too. The Country Club's annual charity ball was a formal event wherein everyone could flaunt exactly how much they had in their checking account all in one place. It was a taffeta nightmare of wealth that wished to recreate their magical senior ball moments at Neptune High. For the most part, they succeeded albeit with a more adult element to their event.

She stared at the envelope and sipped her coffee. Veronica realized she had nothing to wear.

Piper sat in the shower for a long time, she had not intended to do anything formal or dress up for anything during her time in Neptune. It was Piper's understanding that Neptune was full of beautiful beaches and lots of surfing, she had firmly believed this did not correspond with formal events. But lo and behold, Veronica had called her and told her to get dressed. Not even eight in the morning and she was going to be stuffed into something chiffon – 'Isn't that a type of pie?' Piper thought – and hairsprayed until standing close to an electrical outlet became hazardous. This wasn't exactly Piper's idea of a good ol' time.

Nevertheless, she had promised Logan to try and be normal and get Veronica to do normal things. It was an unspoken agreement that Piper would go to these boring events whether or not she had actually wanted to. Plus, Veronica told her she had a ticket to burn and Piper was her only friend who probably would not wind up with an invitation.

Piper threw on a pair of skinny jeans she shouldn't have been logically able to fit into, a long pale blue tank top, and some boots she may or may not have taken – no, 'liberated' - from Veronica's closet when she wasn't in the room. She grabbed her purse and left, heading downstairs in the elevator. Piz ran down the hallway and she pushed the Door Hold button while he threw himself inside. He smiled at her, not a hint of awkwardness, "Morning!"

"Good morning," she raised an eyebrow at him, "Feeling a bit better?"

"Yeah, I feel good today. Wallace and I went out, but I guess I had a good time because I don't remember going to bed." He shrugged, Piper knew he was telling the truth.

She smirked at him, "I remember. You came to my door."

Piz's expression fell, "Oh God. Please tell me it was just to check my fantasy football scores."

"Football, not in season. And no, it wasn't," She reached out at patted his cheek, "You tried to kiss me and I made you go to bed." He didn't need to know he had _actually _kissed her.

If there was a shade of red that was redder than red, Piz would have turned that color. He ran his hand through his hair, "Well. I guess I'm a cheap date and a touchy drunk." Internally he was screaming.

Piper sighed, 'Of course he doesn't remember, the guy smelled like a cantina.' "Don't sweat it. It's not the first time weird boys have tried to kiss me because they're full of liquid courage."

She stepped off the elevator and waved her goodbye, he sighed and slumped back against the wall. The elevator doors closed, but Piz didn't move to stop them. He rode it up and down once or twice before finally getting off, taking some time to collect himself and try to reason that he would survive the embarrassment that seems to come standard with tequila. Piz also reminded himself to kill Wallace for challenging him to shots.

Veronica sat idling in the cul-de-sac in front of the hotel, she waved when Piper came out the door and climbed into the passenger side of the Saturn. Piper sighed loudly, "Well. Let's get this nightmare over with."

"It won't be that bad. It can't be that bad," Veronica looked at her pleadingly, "Please don't let me believe it can be that bad because I won't go if I believe it."

"I never pegged you as the kind of girl who went to formal events."

"I'm not," Veronica shot her a look, "But we agreed to do things everyone else does and this is something everyone in Neptune does. Really I can't think of a reason Logan will accept and he is starting to be concerned that I won't ever be normal."

They parked in front of a rather expensive looking dress shop and stared into the large front window, "Are you absolutely sure this is worth my dignity?" Piper asked.

They climbed out of the car and went inside, swarmed by a pair of sales women who insisted they both would be complimented by blush color or pale yellow. Veronica waved them off slightly and took Piper by the arm, "Actually, we'd like to just look around and try on some of everything if you don't mind." It wasn't question, it was rhetorical.

Together, they approached the rainbow colored racks of silk and chiffon and taffeta and polyester. Veronica sifted through dark reds and bright reds, pulling out several in different styles, Piper had set her sights on dark greens and dark blues. By the time they had left, bank accounts drained a little more than either of them would have liked, they were happy. It was starting to feel kind of fun to Piper, Veronica would have been lying if she said playing dress-up with Piper wasn't fun. Veronica's phone rang and she touched the answer button on her steering wheel.

"Are you guys going to this thing tonight? Logan said you got your letter," Mac asked through the speakers.

"Yup, I made a promise to be normal." Veronica replied.

"Good. I was starting to think I had to go by myself and try not to activate my cyanide tooth when Margery starts inevitably talking to me about the landscaping budget I can't bring myself to care about."

"Logan and I are going together, we're getting a limo at his house around seven-thirty and you can ride with us."

Piper hadn't been told about a limo, in fact she had never actually considered how they would get to the club since she had no idea where it was or that it even existed, "Yeah that would be awesome!"

"Logan's at seven then."

"See you there!"

Logan stared out the front pane of the beach house, watching the driveway as he fidgeted with his cuffs and started pacing, "Where are they?"

"Relax, dude. It's not even seven yet, your special lady friend will be here," Dick sat on the couch playing some shooter on Xbox.

Logan was nervous, he hadn't seen Veronica anywhere close to formal in a long time, even at their senior prom she had been in pants and a shirt. The more he considered it, the more Logan realized he hadn't seen Veronica dressed up in their entire relationship. The realization just made him more antsy and he found his pacing kicked up. Finally, the SUV rolled into the driveway and he exhaled, "Finally."

Another car pulled up behind them, Mac's Genesis. Logan should have guessed it would never be just Veronica to one of these things. He walked outside and stared when the doors opened.

Veronica. She stood on the pavement in a long one-shoulder dress in a deep, dark red. Some jeweled design ruched the fabric at the center of her chest, the bodice itself clung to her and exposed every curve of her that Logan had learned so well. Her hair had been curled, swept over one shoulder and pinned there to hang long and loose in one place.

Logan felt everything surge again, his breath caught in his throat and he had to convince himself he hadn't died. She was beautiful, like something out of a dream billowing towards him in the gentle California breeze. His expression must have been plain on his face because Veronica's red-tinted lips broke into a smile and she sauntered in his direction, mostly because of the shoes she had decided on. They brought her almost to Logan's eye level, but still not quite enough. He put his hand on her waist when she was close enough, not wanting to kiss her for fear he wouldn't be able to stop.

"You're gorgeous, do I tell you that sometimes?" he asked instead, pressing his forehead against hers briefly.

Veronica couldn't stop smiling, "Sometimes I think. You've maybe said it once in your life to me."

Piper stepped out of the car and reached down to lift the long, mermaid-style skirt of her deep blue strapless gown. It clung to her, hugging her body tightly before it flared out into that layered skirt. Along the hem of the bodice, a thin line of broken taffeta gave the dress a formal-yet-torn look against her pale skin. She had done little with her own hair, long curls accentuated just how long her hair was and they rolled over her back and shoulders. Piper had pinned her bangs to the side and dusted her hair with a fine glitter. She clung to a matching blue clutch and watched Logan and Veronica, a slow smile spreading across her pale pink lips under smoky blue eyes. It was good, seeing Veronica like this. Piper hadn't considered exactly how good Logan was for Veronica just in the way he treated her. She knew he had been hard and tormented in high school and through college, but this Logan was nothing but solid and caring. Though he had said nothing to Veronica, he had 'I Love You' etched into the lines on his face every time he looked at her.

Mac walked up beside her and stared at them, "Gross, right?" She had pushed her hair straight back over her head, product held it there for her. A pale gray dress was tight in the collar, bare on the shoulders and slit open in the back. It fell to her ankles, gathering in a thin line at her waist that made the top loose and the bottom almost tubelike in its straightness. It suited her.

The four of them walked inside, Veronica on Logan's arm. Dick got up from the couch quickly and paused his game, straightening out his suit where it had wrinkled from the couch. He beamed at Veronica, "Ronnie. I had no idea under that cold, prude exterior there was anything pretty."

She gave him a perplexed smile, "Thanks, I think."

Piper gave him a quick hug and he looked her up and down, "Am I drooling? I think I might be drooling." Piper had laughed and patted his shoulder.

Finally, Dick had made it to the end of the line to Mac. He stared at her and shifted uncomfortably in his feet. His eyes looked her over as well, slowly and carefully this time. It was hard for Dick to find something to say, Mac looked fantastic and thinking about it made his cheeks turn pink. Piper noticed, though Veronica was too taken up with Logan.

Mac stared back and him and gave him a small smile, "Hey. I like your suit."

"T-thanks. You're nice. I mean you look nice." Dick put his hands in his pockets, "Nice," he repeated.

Lights swept over the room and drew both of their attention away, the limo stopped outside the house and the driver was walking up the stairs to open the front door for the five of them. In the limo wasn't much better, Piper poured five glasses of champagne and passed them around, careful not to spill on anyone. Mac had been squeezed between Dick and the front of the limo, his arm was almost threaded through hers and she was painfully aware of it. Dick was, too, but he pretended it was the seat.

Piper lifted the glass and looked around at all of them, "Something like this needs a toast. Grown-ups toast these things, so here you go. To love. The love of people, the love of places, and the love of liquor. Just love." Piper winked at Mac who looked immediately at Dick.

He didn't look back, but they chimed glasses together and drank. Neither of them spoke for the rest of the limo ride to the sprawling green County Club. Lights and limos illuminated everything around the grounds, the expansive foyer had been lit up with small twinkling lights that cascaded from the ceiling to the floor. The driver helped them all out of the vehicle and they walked down a spongy red carpet inside. People, all formal and smelling of cologne and perfume, milled about the huge clubhouse, waiters walked around offering hors d'oeuvres and champagne.

Piper snatched two glasses off one of the passers-by and handed one immediately to Mac while Logan led Veronica off towards the half mile-long table full of food. Piper looked around while she drank, "Well. This is awful."

"I feel like we should've just gotten dressed up and stayed at Logan's." Mac sympathized. Her eyes weren't roaming like Piper's , they watched Dick who had meandered off to talk to a couple of old high school friends she didn't recognize.

"Oh, Mac, but where's the fun in not coming to something like this?"

"Everywhere. The fun is everywhere."

Together, they walked around saying the occasional hello until they were finally stopped by a pleasant looking older woman in a dress jacket and skirt, "Cindy!" she said and gave Mac an air-kiss on each cheek that Mac didn't return.

"Hey Margery. This is beautiful, nice job this year."

"Thank you so much, we really decided our fortieth was something we needed to celebrate. Can I borrow you for just a moment, though? I wanted to talk to you about the budget for the grounds." Piper had to hide her laughter as Mac was led off, looking back mouthing 'Kill me now.'

And there she was, alone and standing in a crown of people she didn't really know again. Piper sipped her champagne and exchanged glasses when it was empty. She looked around and decided to wander the whole miniature villa. At the main staircase, she looked down over a crowd of people mingling and dancing to some dresswear-appropriate music, another long table of food set off to the side.

Finally, a familiar face caught her with a wave. Wallace spread his arms out and waved at her to come downstairs. Piper had to watch her step in high heels and a long dress that seemed more and more like a hazard than a fashion statement while she walked downstairs, pushing through people politely until she reached her destination. Wallace gave her a kiss on the cheek and stepped back to look at her, "Wow! Piper! You clean up nice."

"Thank you," she gave him a small curtsey, "So do you, sir. I had no idea you were coming or I would've invited you to ride with us."

Wallace shrugged, "No big deal, I came with Piz anyway. He's around here somewhere," he looked around and waved across the room.

Piz walked back towards him with a plate of food, zeroed in on Wallace so much that he didn't notice Piper, "I grabbed some more of those mini quiche things. I think I might be single handedly contributing to a mini quiche shortage among the Neptune elite." Piper registered in his field of vision and he stopped in his tracks. It was hard to deny how beautiful she was in that moment. Everything about her sparkled, literally and metaphorically, and the dark blue of her dress made everything about her seem illuminated.

Piper gave him a slight smile and inclined her head, "You wear a good suit, Piznarsky." And it was true.

Veronica could not have had better timing, placing a hand on Piper's shoulder, "We are going to walk around outside. I've got my phone if you need me, it's just getting claustrophobic in here." She snatched a quiche off Piz's plate and popped it into her mouth before she left.

Piper nodded and waved at Logan as they left through a pair of glass double doors. Mac crossed paths with Veronica and took her place among what was quickly becoming a circle, she was out of breath, "If I never discuss how much it should cost to trim a hedge again, I'll die happy. Hey Piz, you look snazzy."

Piz smiled and ate a mini quiche, suddenly feeling huge and clumsy. Nobody else was eating, but Piper swapped out another empty glass of champagne for a full one which was close enough, "That bad?"

"Worse. I keep getting cornered by people who want to talk to me about the monotonous details of their lives. We need some real music and some people who aren't ten steps from death at any given moment." Mac lifted her hand in a wave and Dick joined the circle, too.

"Hey, rejects, what boring things are you talking about?" Nobody could tell if he meant it seriously or ironically in light of Mac's comment.

"Trying to decide how to socially defibrillate this code blue situation." Piper offered, taking his stare off Mac.

"You know what," Wallace said, clapping his hands together, "I've got a few ideas myself. Piz, Dick, you guys grab as much food as you can handle. Mac, Piper, I trust you can infiltrate the bar and find us something to drink?" They all nodded, "Awesome. Meet at those doors in ten minutes."

Ten minutes later, Piz and Dick had makeshift sacks full of anything portable made from extra-large napkins. Piper and Mac had filched several bottles of wine and champagne from behind an unsuspecting and naïve bartender. Wallace was already outside, he opened the door and ushered them outside onto the green. They were right on the golf course, the night was warm and the moon was huge above them, stars littered the sky no longer victims of light pollution like they were near the city. A ways away the Sentra was parked near one of the holes, its doors open. Veronica leaned against the hood of the car, talking to Logan until she waved them over. Piz and Dick spread the napkins and their loot out on the hood of the car, Piper and Mac placed the bottles against the passenger side tire on the cool grass, but Piper kept one bottle of champagne. Logan shook his head at her and reached down, grabbing something sweet, red, and twist off, Mac did the same.

Wallace leaned across the car and pressed play on his iPhone screen – We Own The Night by The Wanted, appropriately - and two bottles of champagne popped open, he was handed one. Wallace took a few steps away from the car and held up the bottle, "Hey," everyone looked over at him, "To good friends and terrible parties."

A resounding holler ended sharply as the bottles were passed around and everyone took a drink. Dick leaned inside the car and turned the music up, launching himself into a one man dance party. Veronica stole some crostini and shared the bottle of wine with Logan, the two of them eating and dancing where they stood. Mac laughed at Dick and shook her head until he held out a hand to her, she shook her head vigorously, "No, no, no. I don't dance. This is something we covered."

"Come on, Ghostworld. Don't be such a weirdo." Dick thrust his hand at her again and she relaxed, rolling her eyes exaggeratedly and accepted his hand. He pulled her straight towards him and wrapped an arm around her waist, dipping enthusiastically from side to side. Mac laughed and shook her head, letting Dick dictate where she put her feet. Finally, she pushed away from him and rolled back in, her back pressed against his chest. Dick's arms had wrapped around her, he didn't feel like letting go. Mac finally spun away and found the bottle of sweet red wine again, taking a drink while she danced and passing it over to him.

Wallace leaned against the door and watched, reaching over to grab something to eat or drink from his bottle of champagne. He looked over at Piz, distracted and staring at Piper. Piper wasn't paying attention to him and leaned against the opposite side of the car, moving slightly with the music as she drank. She laughed when Veronica waved her over to her and Logan and refused, but everybody gives in and she let the two of them wrap an arm around her, jumping around wildly to the music.

Piz laughed to himself and ate another quiche, accepting the bottle Wallace passed to him, "This was a good idea. Way better than inside."

"Only because inside it's more like a pretentious retirement home than a party. We're not quite that old yet." Wallace took the bottle back when Piz finished, "Can I ask you something, man?"

Piz nodded, "Sure."

"You like her?" He didn't expand on whom.

Piz was flustered suddenly and shrugged, "I mean, yeah, she's cool or whatever."

'Still that college guy who can't talk to girls,' Wallace shook his head, "Cool or whatever? You're playing on the sidelines again, bro. Some hot rich dude is going to snatch her up if you're not careful."

The truth was that Piz hadn't really considered if he liked Piper or not, he obviously felt something for her, but he couldn't put a name to it. She had become a friend on this very bizarre vacation of his, someone to talk to while he watched his unresolved ex-girlfriend from college gravitate back to the boy she had always been destined for. Piper helped him make sense of it, but he hadn't stopped to think if that meant he was starting to move past Veronica. Sure, Piz had girlfriends since Veronica, but something about her set her apart from everyone else. Now, he wasn't so sure it was Veronica who was standing out to him anymore.

Piper pushed away from Logan and Veronica, laughing and out of breath, falling backwards into the car again while she drank. Logan pulled Veronica close and whispered into her ear, "Let's get out of here for a while."

Veronica beamed at him, "That would be fun." She looked back at everyone, "We'll be right back. We're going to walk off some of this wine."

Logan and Veronica started to walk away from the music and the noise of their friends, arms around one another. Logan looked down at Veronica, "You feeling good?"

She nodded, riding a buzz from Logan or the wine, it wasn't clear, "I am."

Logan kissed her, pulling her behind one of the large oak trees littering the golf course. They stood there, locked together and kissing beneath the stars, for a few minutes before he pulled back from her. It still felt like a crime to touch her so roughly while she looked the way she did, but he stared down at her alight with happiness, "I love you, you know."

Everything around Veronica went quiet, she could feel the rush beneath the layer of alcohol in her system, "What?" she had heard him, she just wanted to hear him say it again.

"I love you," Logan repeated, kissing her temple, "Damaged goods and all, I love you. Just like this."

Veronica put her hands on his cheeks and kissed him again, "Logan…" she moved back and stared down at her feet, "You know I have to go back to New York when this is all over."

"So?" he said, shrugging, "You being gone has never made me love you any less. It's always been this way for me, Veronica. It's always been you." Logan pulled her back to him and kissed her again, but she leaned back when they had broken apart.

Veronica gazed up at him, she felt a glimmer of tears blurring her eyes, "Why didn't you just get over me? Why didn't you just move on and find someone else, someone less emotionally stunted?"

Logan was smiling, to her surprise, and he brushed his fingers over her bangs, "I'm never going to get over you, I don't want to get over you," he kissed her forehead again and turned her around so her back was against the trunk of the tree, "The pain that comes with loving you? That pain is worth it. I would suffer that for a thousand years if it meant you."

Her heart was swollen, both with joy and sadness, and she pulled him to her, kissing him hard on the mouth. Logan returned it and they stood like that for a few minutes before he let her go. Veronica's voice was a whisper against his lips, "I love you, too. I don't remember a part of my life when I didn't." she confessed quietly.

Back at the car, Mac and Dick sorted through food and shared a wine bottle back and forth between the two of them. Dick stared at something he didn't recognize and made a face at it, "Seriously, Piz, how hard is it to grab edible food."

Mac laughed, "That's just crab," she plucked it from his hands and ate it.

"Uhg, that's disgusting." Dick grimaced, "Crab is basically just sea bugs."

Mac shrugged, "Yum." Having a little brother had made her impervious to gross-out attempts.

Dick looked down at the lake trap rippling under the moonlight, and elbowed Mac in the side, "Come with me. Let's catch frogs."

"You're twelve." She stated, but gathered her dress and kicked off her heels to walk after him. He turned around and handed her back the bottle as they hurried down the hill. It was weird to Mac how well she got along with grown-up Dick. He was still, well, Dick, but he was fun. His comments were questionable, he objectified women, he wasn't as smart as she was, but there was something in his excitement and his energy that was captivating. Maybe that was the wine talking, but she was actually having fun getting herself dirty and trying to catch frogs that peeked out from the marshy grass with him. Once upon a time, if someone had asked her if she would hang around Dick Casablancas, she would have called you certifiably insane. Now? Now she was actually enjoying it. What Max had said still sat in the back of her mind, '_He likes you.', _and she found herself giddy while wondering if it was true.

Piper tried to push herself onto the hood to sit down, but her dress made it impossible and she sighed in frustration, "Formal affairs are not my forte." She passed the second bottle of champagne back to Wallace.

Piz stared at her, "I don't see why not. You dress up well."

"Yeah because my idea of a great time is spending an entire day getting dressed and then schmoozing people I don't like so they give me checks." Piper rolled her eyes sarcastically, "What about you? You look like a deer in a lion's den wearing a nice suit."

Piz looked down at himself, "Hey! I clean up nice, you said it yourself." He took the bottle and gave it back to Piper when he drank, "I am not a formal kind of guy. Maybe it's the earthy Oregon thing, maybe it's the awkward radio host thing."

"Probably both," Wallace offered, Piz elbowed him.

Logan and Veronica were walking slowly back towards them, holding hands and staring at each other. Piper watched them and made a disgusted face, taking a long drink, "They make me nauseous. I mean, it's cute and I'm happy for her and it's great, but I really want to be sick when I see them together."

"Me too," Piz joked. Piper and Wallace laughed, "No, but really. It's good. This is good for Veronica." 'In a lot of ways,' Piz left out, 'Like the fact that she's happy, she's connected.' And for once, he found himself actually happy for Veronica. The lack of bitterness showed in his tone, Piper was staring at him and exchanged a smile with Wallace.

Eventually they had to clean the party up, a security guard had warned them. Wallace returned the napkins and Piper carried the rest of the unopened bottles to their limo. By the time everything had been shut down, the lights in the main villa were dim and most of the cars had left the lot already. The seven of them walked together back to the limo, Wallace had drank too much to drive his own car as evidenced by his terrible parking job after he got off the green.

Seven people in a limo was cramped, seven drunk people in a limo was fun. Piper pushed her back against the cab and motioned to Piz to sit with her, she was practically sitting in his lap, her legs draped over his and the skirt of her dress depressed by his arms as he pushed it out of his face. Piper laughed at Piz's struggle to maneuver the fabric out of his mouth and his eyes. Mac sat across from her, her legs dirty and draped over Dick's dirt-covered slacks. She was sweating slightly and smiling, pinching Dick's arm when he commented on her nice legs. Wallace squeezed in next to Piz, grateful nobody had used him as a leg rest, and Veronica and Logan had the back of the limo to themselves.

Mac reached up and started the radio, bottles kept passing themselves around the rowdy crowd crammed in a too-small limo meant for five. If she had ever gone to a formal dance, this is what Mac would have liked it to be like. It was hard not to be having fun with everyone over-dressed and sharing stolen alcohol, full on stolen food. The night was young, they were young, and nothing was barred to them.

By the time the limo had made the rounds, Mac and Wallace had been invited to use the guest room and the couch respectively at Dick and Logan's. The five of them walked inside and waved goodbye at Piper and Piz, both squeezed out the sun roof to say goodbye. Mac sighed contentedly and dropped her shoes and purse by the front door, pulling out her earrings and shaking off her bangles.

"Do you have a shirt I could borrow? I don't really want to sleep in this," She wasn't asking Logan, she was asking Dick.

He nodded, "Yeah, I've got something you can use." Dick was tired, too tired to be snarky, and trudged upstairs. He had tossed off his jacket and loosened his tie, throwing it onto his bed when he grabbed Mac a shirt and some old shorts. She thanked him and disappeared into the guest room, Dick poured himself some water and watched her head upstairs.

Logan patted his back with a heavy thud, "Good night, man. Thanks, this was fun."

Dick raised his glass in appreciation, but he was still distracted by the image Mac had left him with: walking slowly upstairs, hands and ankles smeared with dirt and the hem of her gorgeous dress stained with pond water. He smiled to himself and gave Wallace a blanket and pillow from the storage closet, finally bringing himself upstairs to go to bed. Mac walked across his path and excused herself, "Oh! Sorry. Good night."

He nodded at her and watched her go into the guest room, "Night, Mac." It was the first time he had called her by her name all night.

Veronica and Logan lay on his bed, too tired to get undressed and too tired to do anything else. Veronica moved closer to him and laid her head against his chest, Logan wrapped an arm around her. They lay there in silence until both of their breathing became deep and heavy in the darkness.

Piper sat back in the limo, sighing long and hard to express her relief. Piz slumped down adjacent to her and polished off the bottle he had been holding.

"Did I really try to kiss you?" he finally said.

"You succeeded," Piper was too tired to lie, "But don't worry about it, seriously. Drunk people is a synonymous phrase with stupid people."

Piz nodded and stared at the empty bottle, Piper shook hers at him and he reached across to grab it from her, "That's really fucking embarrassing."

"Yup," she said tiredly, rubbing her hand over her forehead to avoid smearing her makeup, "We all have moments. Like one time I tried to get all up in the business of my then-friend's fiancé. Not my finest hour." Piper recalled the incident to him and laughed to herself.

Piz helped her out of the limo, heels were evidently also not Piper's forte, and he held her hand as she steadied herself. Quietly, they walked inside across the lobby together. Piz didn't let go of Piper's hand, she didn't try to take it away from him and convinced herself it was in case she stumbled. The reality of it was she was enjoying the moment of human contact.

They took the elevator in silence and Piz walked her up to her door, finally releasing her hand so she could unlock the door to her room. He waited there, not quite sure what he expected but feeling like staying was the right thing to do for that moment. Piper turned around and slumped against the wall. Even exhausted and half-drunk she looked beautiful, Piz was having trouble pretending she didn't anymore.

"Thanks for walking me home," she said sarcastically, "I can handle it from here, Piznarsky."

He had expected Piper to walk inside at that point, she had said her version of goodnight. It surprised him when she leaned forwards and kissed him on the cheek gently. Everything about her was warm, her lips on his skin, her breath, her existence.

Piz surprised himself by feeling that way and he took a step back, "Goodnight." He said suddenly.

Piper laughed and turned around, waving to him over her shoulder before she shut the door. He waited outside in the hallway for a moment, she stood with her back against the door. Finally, Piper broke and walked into the bathroom, starting up the shower. Piz turned away from the door and walked into his room to distract himself with whatever movie was free and still playing before infomercial hour.


	12. A Beautiful Place

**Chapter 12: A Beautiful Place**

Veronica was halfway across her dad's apartment, a bagel in her mouth and two bags slung over her shoulders and a cooler in her hands, when her phone started to buzz in her pocket. She grumbled unintelligibly and braced the cooler on the counter while she pulled out her phone, setting her bagel down on it, "Veronica."

"Mars!" She knew that fat, happy voice like the back of her hand.

"Rodney?" Two months since she had heard from him, this was either really good or really terrible.

"Yeah, who else would it be?" Rod had almost forgotten she had been gone, "I've got some really, really good news I'm sure you've been waiting to hear."

Why was her chest cold? "What's up?"

"The case is almost over. You're free in two and a half months. Three at most, it's looking like three. You get to come home early!" He sounded excited, glad to tell his favorite agent she could come back and take over the case load piling up.

Veronica tried to find words, everything seemed to take on a surreal feeling around her, "What? Yeah. Oh. Great. Awesome. Thanks."

"I'll keep you updated, Mars. Stay safe." Rodney hung up.

Veronica dropped her bags and sat down for a second, gathering herself. Keith patted her on the back and opened the fridge, "Good phone call?"

"In theory." She picked up her bagel and ate slowly, remembering she was on her way out the door and gathering her things back up again.

Logan waited for her at the Land Rover, trunk open and full of camping supplies. He smiled and took the cooler from her, Veronica tossed her bags in and he closed the trunk. Logan kissed her head and noticed how distracted she was, "Everything okay?"

"When is anything ever okay," Veronica remembered her promise to him the other night, a promise to talk to him about things, "Rodney called."

"Your boss?"

"Yeah," she fought the urge to stop there, turn back, "The case is almost over."

Veronica had anticipated his demeanor to change, his face to fall, a cloud to settle in. Instead, Logan smiled wider and kissed her again, "Well. Then we have to make this camping trip something to remember." His positive attitude seemed to take some of the gravity off of her shoulders, the weight of the call from Rodney abated a little. Logan put his arm over her shoulders and hugged her, "Seriously, don't worry. If you think about it too much, you'll stop having fun."

Logan was right. Veronica strapped herself into the front seat of the Land Rover and turned around to steal some chips from the bag at Piper's feet. She was staring at her phone reading something, her eyes caught Veronica's and they shared a silent exchange. Veronica had assumed Piper would be glad to leave Neptune, a city she had told Veronica was a 'podunk hippie beach town' on more than one occasion. However, Piper didn't look excited and didn't mention anything. Was she apprehensive to leave?

Piper's phone buzzed and she answered it this time, "You're lost…Uh huh…I just saw you drive by, make a u-turn. We're the huge black expensive car sandwiched between a ninety-three Honda and some weird car that's either foreign or old, I can't tell."

A small red Ford Fiesta with an Enterprise license plate frame parked across the street and Piz got out, pulling a large backpack out of the back seat and jogged across the street towards the SUV. Logan popped the trunk open again and let him load his bag in and slam it shut, Piz climbed into the back next to Piper, "Hey! I made a wrong turn. It's been a long time since I've been down here. Hey Veronica."

She smiled at him, "Hey Piz. Glad you could come."

"Yeah, well, Wallace lost his place when he had some Skype work thing." Piz reached into the bag and grabbed some chips.

Logan started the car and glanced in the rear view mirror, "Let's get moving. Beach camping or bust."

"So," Piper said after a few minutes of the sound of music and crunching of chips, "Why isn't Dick coming on this magical adventure into the wild woods of Neptune, California?"

Logan shrugged, "I'm not entirely sure, he said he had something going on tonight. I think he's coming later, but who knows," he shrugged.

The truth of the matter was that Dick had a date. Some girl his mom had decided could be good for him, just a few years too late. Dick wasn't exactly the dating type, he met girls and slept with girls, but dating wasn't really his modus operandi. He let himself be set up, though, to appease her and try and break out of the stagnant lull his love life had seemed to fall into.

Dick got ready, blaring music around the house that Logan normally hated to hear. Having the house to himself wasn't really that bad, he made grilled cheese in his underwear for lunch and tried to pull a Tom Cruise and slide across the hard wood floor in socks. Now, though, Dick was a little nervous about the whole date thing. He finished buttoning his shirt and double checked his hair before heading out to the Audi TT, heading off to the restaurant to meet this girl. What was her name? Charlena? No, that was the girl from three weeks ago. Dick checked his text messages quickly to clarify. Clara. She sounded uptight already.

When Dick got to the restaurant, he tossed the valet his keys, "Thanks man." He walked inside and found the table. Clara was already there, scanning the menu.

She was tall, really tall, and slender. Dick was surprised at her kind, round face and her brown doe-eyes. Clara stood up and leaned over the table to embrace him, her bleach-blond hair was fine and soft against his neck, "You must be Richard. It's so nice to meet you, your mom talks to my dad about you all the time."

A polite lie, even Dick saw through it, "Dick, actually. My mom is a talker like that I guess. I wouldn't know, she doesn't talk to me very much." He sat down in the chair and slouched, "So what's good to eat in this place?"

The waiter brought him a tall, overpriced lager and Dick saw the look in her eye when it was on the table, "You drink?" Clara asked.

"Uh, yeah, like all the time. Do you not?" Dick was a little astounded. Did his mom really not know him at all?

"No," she smiled politely and smoothed out the linen napkin in her lap, "My parents are strict about those sorts of things. Alcohol can destroy your body." Clara let her eyes linger on him long enough to know she was being judgmental.

Dick frowned and stared down at the menu again, in his mind this had already become a bust. The waiter took their orders and menus, Clara talked about her father's business and how she and her mother were planning a mother-daughter trip up to Napa for the weekend. Dick fought the urge to fall asleep, the only thing keeping him up was reminding himself food was coming.

"You don't seem terribly interested in that stuff," she waved away the conversation and leaned on her hands, "Tell me about you, what do you like? Are you taking any trips soon?"

Dick sighed heavily to emphasize his boredom, "I like to drink and surf. I don't see my mom ever and my dad went to prison, so there's that," Dick took a long drink from his beer, "My short-term goals are to stay out of prison and not turn into a mass-murderer like my brother. Long-term, I don't know."

Clara was silent, she raised her eyebrows and cleared her throat while she drank. Dick looked past Clara's shoulder and saw a familiar face. Mac, dressed up again, was looking around the restaurant. She made eye contact with Dick and gave him a wave, pointing at his date and giving him a thumbs-up. Dickshrugged and rolled his eyes exaggeratedly, lolling his head to the side. Mac laughed and turned her attention up to an older woman who had walked towards her. They hugged and she led Mac over to a table in the corner, Dick lifted his beer to say bye to her from a distance.

Clara was staring at him, her kind doe-eyes hard and expression upset, "I'm sorry, you seem distracted."

Dick shrugged, "Nah, I just saw a friend." Since when had Mac become 'a friend'? Man, life after high school was totally warped.

Clara went on again, talking about her 4H club experience and asking Dick if he knew anything about horses. She said something about a gymkhana or dressage, Dick didn't know and had stopped listening. He let himself zone out and not, grunting affirmation where she felt she needed it. Type-A personalitydidn't mix well with Dick, he couldn't understand why his mom had decided this blind date would be good for him. Hope had been quickly crushed under her too-tall stiletto heel.

Finally, Clara excused herself and took her phone, heading to the alcove right before the bathroom. Mac stood before the large mirror fixing her hair and makeup when Clara walked over to it, she couldn't help but give Clara the once-over and be a little self-conscious. She was talking on her phone and not trying to hide her conversation, "Why did Betina even think this guy would be in my league? He's such a loser!"

Mac frowned and stayed longer than she needed to, she adjusted her makeup again and kept listening, "This guy has no ambition unless it involves a surf board. What kind of man doesn't even have a portfolio together? He's almost thirty and still lives off his trust fund. I can't believe she set me up with such a goon." Clara glanced at Mac and scowled, "What?"

Mac shook her head, "Nothing."

Clara rolled her eyes and went back to her conversation, "Anyway, this dweeb is probably pining at the table for the chance to take me home. Please call me or something and fake an emergency, I have to get out of here."

Clara hung up and turned around to walk around the corner of the alcove and back to Dick. Except Dick was leaned against the wall listening to her while she talked. He didn't say anything to her, just stared with his hands in his pockets. Clara locked eyes with him and immediately blushed, "Uh, I just got a call. I have to go."

It was a weak excuse, especially since she knew Dick had heard everything she had said. Despite the fact that he wasn't having fun and he was dying to get out, it still hurt. That showed plain enough on his face. Clara hurried away and he didn't even watch her go, just stared at the spot where she had been standing. Mac walked quickly around the corner and saw him standing there, her face branded with concern. She looked back at Clara and then to Dick again, stepping forwards and putting a hand on his shoulder gently, "You can't listen to what uptight, spoiled daddy's girls like her say about you."

He looked up at her and she saw his eyes were glassy, "Why not? I mean, she's right. I am a loser. I guess it just sucks to hear someone else say it."

"No, she's not right," Mac's voice was firm and she glared at Clara again as she practically ran to the door, no doubt embarrassed by herself, "You aren't a loser."

Dick nodded and laughed, "Then what am I?"

"You don't take everything seriously, the world really is an oyster to you. That's not a loser, that's someone who loves what he's doing and what he's done. Losers want what they'll never have and don't want to do anything about it, you just wake up every day and do exactly what you want," Mac didn't know why she was saying this to him, "There's a reason this girl is still single and simultaneously awful."

He frowned, considering what she said, and nodded, "Thanks." Without another word, Dick walked back to the table and left cash before leaving the restaurant.

Mac watched him and leaned against the wall, arms folded over her chest. She was concerned for Dick and trying to quell the rage that had bubbled up at that girl, resisting the urge to chase her down with her car was the hardest part.

Logan gave a cry of success when the fire blazed up in front of him, Veronica clapped her hands, "Look at you, you mountain man, starting a fire in the wilderness."

"I hardly think Leo Carrillo State Beach constitutes as the wilderness. And using lighter fluid is definitely cheapening the experience," Piz quipped, driving the stake for his two-person tent into the sand. It had been a long time since he had the excuse to go camping, back in Oregon it had been a summer tradition. Everything Piz needed to survive in the woods was in his oversized backpack, he hadn't expected to be three minutes from the PCH and ten from the nearest grocery store.

Piper made a face at Logan, "He had a point," she didn't believe in tents, not when the weather was warm and the sky was this clear. She laid down a blue tarp and spread out a few blankets on it, beach camping had been her specialty in San Diego.

Logan sat down in the chair next to Veronica and passed her a beer, digging his feet into the sand, "Oh come now, jealousy at my ability to light a fire with only lighter fluid and a match is unbecoming of both of you."

"Ha ha," Piz rolled his eyes and pulled another beach chair from the back to the SUV, taking a Coke from the cooler and sitting down to watch the ocean, "Back in Boston there isn't a whole lot of camping. Or really an outdoors scene, it seems like the Northwest is the Mecca for outdoor activities."

Piper sat on the sand, pulling her Smirnoff from the sand and taking a drink. It was lame and sugary, but everyone who ever had one begrudgingly admitted they would drink them alone, "San Diego is all about the outdoors, particularly bonfires and this kind of stuff."

Logan pulled Veronica's chair closed across the sand and she laughed, his arm draped around her shoulders and he kissed her head. Veronica leaned on the arm of her beach chair and rested her head on Logan's shoulder while they watched the sunset. Piper leaned back on her hands and gestured at the other cooler, "Are we going to eat or are we going to sit here being disgusted by the both of you?"

"Please say eat," Piz said pleadingly.

Veronica laughed and sat up, opening the cooler and passing around sandwiches. Everyone had mutually agreed that they were not equipped emotionally and physically to roast hotdogs on a beach, Piper grumbled something about carcinogens that made Veronica think they had been in California for too long. Nobody talked much while they ate, they just stared out at the sunset and watched the oranges and reds dip into deep hues of purple and blue. It was like the sky had become illuminated with color while the light faded.

Veronica sighed heavily and looked at Piper, "So, Piper, talk. Do your parents still live in San Diego?"

Family was always a weird question with Piper, even weirder now that Veronica knew what had happened to her sister, Angela, "No," she shook her head, "they retired to Maine. I don't see them much since I left for college. We aren't terribly close."

"Really?" Piz interjected, "I love my family, my mom is the best."

Piper shrugged, nobody asked Logan by virtue of the fact that they didn't have to. Everyone knew about the orphan Logan Echolls. Veronica handed Piper a bottle of water and got to her feet, "I'm going to go down to the water. You losers can stay here if you want."

Logan got up with her and grabbed her hand tightly, "I wouldn't want you to get eaten by sharks, I'll go for protection."

"Ah yes, protection from sand sharks." Veronica smiled up at him cheekily and they jogged down to the surf together.

She stared down at her feet as the water, foamy and cold, washed over her sandals and looked over at Logan. He was watching her intently, "What?"

Logan shook his head and squeezed her hand, "I'm just wondering how hard long distance is going to be." It hadn't occurred to Veronica that Logan would be interested in a long-distance relationship, her surprise must have showed, "Did you think you were just going to leave and that would be that?"

Veronica shrugged, "I guess in my mind long-distance usually ends in either a break-up or someone moving to be with the other."

Logan shrugged and looked out at the water, "It's not like I'm tied here. I just have a few projects and then I'm free to do whatever I want." He pulled Veronica against him and wrapped his arms around her, they faced the darkening ocean, "You got away from me once, to let you do it twice would be insane."

Veronica smiled again to hide her pensiveness. She didn't want Logan to have to abandon everything here, he had a life in Neptune and Veronica didn't want to just uproot him. Love or not, everything Logan knew and had was here. She felt guilty and cruel for instigating that thought in his mind.

Piz didn't follow them with his eyes or his stare, instead he looked up. It was the little things that he didn't notice he was doing that meant he was getting over his broken heart. Piper followed his stare and got to her feet, brushing off her legs, "I missed seeing stars. New York doesn't have a sky this big, I don't get to see them unless we go somewhere else for a vacation or something."

"Boston is the same way, no sky. Not like this," Piz looked back down at her and followed her as she lay down on her blankets, still staring upwards. He got up and laid down next to her, folding his arms behind his head.

Logan and Veronica walked back up to the fire, fingers threaded together and lost in the haziness that came with it. The two of them sat down on the blanket too, Veronica leaned back against Logan's chest. Piper reached up and pointed out constellations and stars, talking about how she had hoped to be an astronomer when she was really young.

Veronica started to feel heavy against Logan's chest and he shook her lightly, "Come on, let's go sleep."

She made a small agreeable noise and heaved herself off of him, the two of them said goodnight and disappeared into their tent together.

Piper looked up and back at them as they went, smiling, then glanced over at Piz, "You headed to bed, too?"

He shook his head, "Not yet, this is fun. I figured I would enjoy the night for a while." They lay on the blankets quietly for a while before he spoke again, "How's your case going?" Piper looked at him curiously and he shrugged against the blankets, "Small circle, things get around."

She should have known someone would talk about the case, probably because they all would assume the other knew. She sighed heavily, "I promised Logan I would take a break and leave Veronica out, so…not well. There's just a lot I'm stuck on."

"Talk to me about it. Sometimes, talking it out helps."

Piper exhaled heavily, "There's just a lot I can't connect. It's looking more and more like the original case was a vengeance murder, Angela crossed the wrong guy. Redneck justice would involve me storming the castle and finishing the guy off, but the Fed in me wants to make the case and hand it over to have him arrested," Piper rolled onto her side and rested her head on her hand, "Then I have these three kids who can help me link him to the murder, but I doubt any of them would."

Piz nodded and considered it, "Have you leafed through old cases? Link the guy in other ways, if you can prove he had interaction with other dead kids then maybe it'll help."

She shook her head, "I have nothing concrete showing he ever interacted with Angela, just gut and a few of her friends who told me she did."

"Maybe one of those friends can tell you the capacity of this interaction. I mean, if the girl who was murdered was dealing drugs and wronged the supplier, I would imagine a good friend would have noticed something you didn't."

Piper nodded slowly, it was an avenue she hadn't explored, talking to Angela's old friends. She lay back down, "Thanks. That helped."

They both lay there quietly, staring up at the sky. Piper couldn't bring herself to sleep, but she head Piz's breathing grow heavy in his chest and looked over to ensure he was asleep. She grabbed one of the blankets and tugged it over the two of them, rolling over towards him to fall asleep. In the morning, Piper had curled up tightly against him, he had wrapped his arms around her against the cold.

Logan stood over them and cleared his throat loudly, holding two disposable cups full of instant coffee. Piper jerked awake and rolled onto her back, shielding her eyes against the sunlight. She stretched, "What time is it?"

Logan took a deep breath and handed her a cup, "Time to break up the snuggle party so we can pack."

Piper, confused, looked over and saw Piz still asleep with his arm draped over the indent she had left in the sand beneath the tarp. She looked back at Logan and sat up, "It's not what it looks like."

"I'm not judging," he gave her a playful look and walked back to Veronica, starting to disassemble their tent.

Piper sipped her coffee and stared at Piz. It wasn't weird that he had stayed on her blankets with her, Piz was her friend. Piper did this kind of stuff all the time with her friends, most of them back home were guys anyway. Veronica and her college roommate, Kate, had been Piper's only female friends. Logan  
was being ridiculous insinuating anything improper had happened, he just didn't know Piper very well.

Piz finally opened one eye at her groggily, "I hurt everywhere."

Piper laughed and pushed him, getting to her feet. She came back with another cup of instant coffee and Piz sat up. She folded her legs on the blanket across from him and they both watched the ocean, trying to wake up.


	13. Tell Me So

**Author's Note:** So in order to flesh this out a bit, I have to incorporate some fluffy chapters. Tell me if this is annoying or not. Also, YAY I'm so happy everyone seems to like Piper. I like writing her, she's a lot of fun. In my head I've totally incorporated her, so write her seems natural. Anyway, fluffy chapters. Please tell me if two or three fluffy chapters is too many...

**Chapter 13: Tell Me So**

Veronica sat at the reception desk sifting through files, the entire office had been turned upside down, "I have no idea where it could possibly be, dad. You're just going to have to go back out and get new photos of the guy."

"That photo was a pain in the ass to get in the first place, I'm not going back out there because we're going to find it," Keith shouted from his office.

Veronica sighed and leaned against the desk, her face in her hands. She was exhausted, dark circles had begun to form under her eyes and her skin was dull. Everything about her body ached with tiredness, but every time she closed her eyes all she saw were nightmares. It hadn't started getting to her until today, usually she just supplemented the sleepiness with caffeine and called it good. Something about today just made it impossible.

The door closed softly and she moved her hands away, "Mars Invest- oh hey Piper."

"Hey, Veronica," Piper leaned down at stared at her curiously, "Are you feeling okay? You look wiped out." Piper knew about the nightmares, Logan had asked her to stay away from the case for a little longer when they had dropped her off after camping. She didn't think they were that bad until today, Veronica sitting at the desk looking like she might break at any moment.

"Just a long night," she lied, "And dad lost a photo he needed for a client so we're trying to find that," she sighed long and hard, "What do you need?"

"Well," Piper jerked her thumb towards Keith's office, "I was going to ask your dad about something, but if you're busy I can come back."

Keith waved her inside from underneath his desk, "No, no, come on in Piper. I think we could use a break from this."

Piper stepped into his office and didn't bother to close the door, she knew better than to keep Veronica out of the loop in some things, "I was wondering if you could help me out by digging up some old files. Some mysterious deaths over the last ten years from San Diego to here?" He sat in his chair and leaned back, waiting for her to go on, "Mysterious overdose incidents in weird places. Teen girls in their pajamas downtown, boys in board shorts in industrial areas. That kind of thing."

Keith eyed her while he considered her request, "What makes you think I would have anything like that around here?"

The expression on her face revealed her secret knowledge, Keith had to remain stoic despite his curiosity about how she found him out, "Just a hunch." Vague enough not to give her away, specific enough to tell him she knew.

They held one another's stare for a few moments, challenging the other to reveal what they knew. Piper won, Keith looked away, "I'll look into it."

She nodded and turned on the heel of her shoes, stopping at Veronica's desk. Piper frowned at her and reached out to push her head a little, "Go home and take a nap."

Veronica groaned and sighed again, "I don't think I can."

"I worry about you. Even though you've replaced me with a wealthy surfer orphan," Piper smiled at her and turned to leave.

Veronica looked through Keith's door and watched him, "Hey dad, why would Piper think you have files on that kind of stuff?"

He got up slowly and walked to one of the long, large filing cabinets, "Because I do."

"But how would she know that?"

"Your friend probably considered her resources and decided I was the most likely candidate," he opened it and pulled out a stack of files bound with rubber bands, "We all know how much police work the police around here seem to do."

Veronica nodded, too tired to argue, and started to sift through the folders again on her desk. Keith leaned in the doorframe of his office and watched her for a moment, reaching over and snatching a photo off the corner of her desk, "Veronica," it was the photo he'd been hunting for, "Go home and get some sleep."

Reluctantly, Veronica went to her car and drove home, back streets only as she promise her dad. She unlocked the apartment and lay down on the couch, arm thrown over her eyes. Without realizing it, Veronica fell asleep where she had fallen.

The nightmare was washed in red again, she was strapped to something. A chair maybe? Veronica knew she was immobile and sweating, her pulse thumped rapidly in every major artery of her body. She couldn't speak, but she could hear. Screams everywhere filled her ears, footsteps heavy and slow headed towards her and she fixed her eyes on the red-tinted darkness. Josh materialized out of the shadow, like a cloud forming before her face. His hands were covered by dark gloves, but something darker dripped off his fingers. He pushed back the hood of his black sweatshirt and put his hands on either side of her. It was a chair, she was stuck in a chair.

Josh leaned his face close to her, pointing at her with a knife, "You killed me, you know. You couldn't stop shoving your stupid little face where it didn't belong."

He slammed the knife into the wood of the chair's arm, Veronica let out a scream and felt hot tears burning down her cheeks, "Please, no. Please, Josh, please."

Josh laughed, a cackling, venomous sound. He repeated her mockingly, "And why should I help you, you little bitch?" he spit on the ground in front of her, "It's because of you I'm dead. I thought you loved me!" he shouted at her, rage bubbling up over the brim in his tone. He slammed his hands on the chair arms.

"I did, I did love you," she pleaded, "But I didn't love what you were, I couldn't, I can't! Don't ask me to!"

Josh let out a roar and grabbed the knife, pressing his hands to his ears and shaking his head repeatedly back and forth, "I thought you loved me, I thought you loved me, I thought you loved me, I thought you loved _ME!_" he whirled around and screamed at her, plunging the knife into her chest.

Veronica fell off the couch onto the floor thrashing wildly, her voice hoarse with screaming. She scrambled backwards against the couch and clung to the blanket, gasping sobs pouring out of her. Tears rolled down her cheeks and smeared themselves over her face, her eyes were wide and shifting sporadically. She was gasping for air, drinking it like water. The house was dark, the sun had gone down, she was alone.

It was the word 'alone' running through her mind that made Veronica shudder, she grabbed for her purse and rummaged for her phone. Three missed calls, all Logan. Four text messages, Piper asking where she was.

She opened her log and dialed, Piper's voice picked up on the other end, "Hey, where have you been all afternoon?"

"Can you," she sobbed slightly, "Can you come pick me up? I don't want to be alone."

Piper frowned into the phone, "Of course. Are you okay?"

"Please just come get me."

Piper waited outside in the Spark, watching Veronica walk down the stairs and climb in the car. She looked like she had slept, but not enough, "What's going on, V?"

Veronica shook her head, "I don't even know anymore, Piper."

They drove back to the Grand in silence, Piper didn't ask anymore questions. She led Veronica upstairs, making small talk about her day in the office more than anything. They sat on the couch and Piper brought Veronica a soda from the mini fridge, ignoring the egregious price tag.

"Are you going to tell me what happened?" her tone grew serious, "Was it Logan?"

Veronica looked at her with surprise, "What? No, never, not Logan." she stared at the soda and didn't say anything for a moment, "Do you have nightmares?"

"What?" Piper asked.

"Nightmares. Since Josh died," Veronica swallowed hard and felt herself start to perspirate again, "I've been having nightmares all of a sudden, since the first night I spent with Logan."

"Like biblically spent with Logan?" Veronica shot Piper a look, "I'm just trying to figure out what's going on."

Veronica sighed, "Yes, biblically. I just," she chewed on her lip for a moment, "keep having nightmares. Josh is always there, chasing me or interrogating me. I can't see him at first, but then...it's always violence, he always kills me."

Piper was watching her seriously, "Veronica, nightmares? Logan told me you had them, but you didn't tell him what they were about?"

Veronica was quiet again, "He was in one."

Piper leaned back slightly, surprised, "What?"

Veronica nodded, "I can't tell him, Pipe I just can't tell him that," she was biting her nail nervously. Piper swatted her hand away and Veronica swatted back at her.

"I'm not an expert, but I think you have PTSD in some capacity," Piper told her, drawing her legs up onto the couch and folding them in front of her, "You have to deal with what's bothering you."

Veronica looked at her, teary-eyed, "That's the problem," she inhaled sharply, "I don't even know what's bothering me. I'm _glad_ Josh is dead, he _should_ be dead. After everything he did to those women, he deserves it." She was surprised by the venom in her own voice, the bitterness.

Piper watched her with consideration in her expression, "You should talk to a professional then," she leaned forwards and spread her hands out innocently, "Look, I'm just saying if you talk to Logan he might be able to help you with whatever is making you have nightmares. The alternative is to talk to a shrink and take pills to stop having nightmares or dreaming in general."

Veronica nodded and sighed, running her hands over her face, and sat back against the couch cushions. Piper watched her and moved closer to her on the couch, putting her arm over Veronica's shoulders. They sat like that in silence, Veronica squeezing silent tears out of her eyes.

Piper pulled the covers over Veronica finally, getting her into bed after sitting through some romantic comedy they both hated and a room service dinner complete with white wine. She pulled Veronica's phone out of her purse and crept out of the bedroom, closing the double oak doors behind her. Piper hit Dial.

"Veronica where have you been?" Logan said on the other end.

"Not Veronica, Piper. I don't have your number so I had to swipe Veronica's phone."

"Is she okay? What's going on?"

"Calm down, Panic Pants, Veronica's fine. She just...she talked to me about her nightmares. It's a choice between talking about them and popping pills forever, I am choosing for her." Piper knew it was wrong to talk to him about this, but she knew Veronica wouldn't. It wasn't the kind of thing someone could let go of without help, Logan was help.

"Okay. What do I need to know. You know I'm already getting in the car to get her."

Piper did know he was, she expected him to, "She dreams about Josh, mostly. Trying to kill her, demanding he love her. I think she feels like she's betraying him. Sometimes his face peels off and underneath it's you, but it always ends the same way. Someone always tries to kill her."

In the Land Rover, Logan was listening intently. He didn't like that, didn't like being the subject of Veronica's nightmares. Emotionally, it hurt, but intellectually he understood.

"They started after you slept together, right?" Piper asked, "I don't know what to do for her. She feels like he deserves to be dead, but it's like she's torn about her feelings for him. She was so definite when it all happened, I can't say this is surprising."

Logan nodded, though Piper couldn't see it, and stayed quiet again. He sighed into the receiver, "What do I do?"

"I don't know."

Piper opened the door to the room and ushered Logan inside, he started for the bedroom door, but Piper stopped him, "No, let her sleep. She went down okay, let her enjoy it while it lasts."

He sat on the couch and leaned on his hands, running them through his hair, "What do I even do about this, Piper? How do I help her?"

Piper shrugged and leaned against the wall, "I don't know. Something has to change inside her, make her accept that it isn't a bad thing to fall in love with someone new. I think she's scared," she moved and sat next to him on the couch, "Love is terrifying. Love after finding out your long-term boyfriend is a serial killer? I can't even imagine what that brings out in someone."

Logan nodded, still unsure of himself, "I mean, I always knew Veronica would come with demons, but I could handle her mom leaving or the rape or Duncan leaving her or the constant cheating scandals she grew up in. This? This is something I was completely unprepared for."

Piper misinterpreted him, she didn't even think about it before growing immediately defensive and hard, "You have two choices here, Logan. Either you can stay with her and help her move past this, or you can choose to cut and run. Most men cut and run, Veronica believes you're not most men. It's up to you."

Logan shook his head, "I'm just talking, I'm just...I don't know what to do."

The door creaked slightly and Veronica stood there, staring at the two of them. She looked over at Piper, "You called him."

Piper, sheepish, nodded, "Yeah. I'm sorry. I had to. Please don't be mad."

To her surprise, Veronica smiled, "I'm not mad, I get it, I'd call if it were you."

Logan got to his feet and walked over to her, sliding his arms around her and pulling Veronica into his arms. His eyes were glossy, "I'm so, so sorry. I had no idea."

Veronica wrapped her arms around him and pressed her head to his chest, "I know."

Piper stepped away while they embraced, listening to Veronica cry into his shoulder. She shifted uncomfortably, wildly unsure what to do. It was Piper's room, but she felt like she was invading on something deeply personal. Quietly, she slipped out the door unsure what else she should do in a moment like this.

Piper stood in the hall and looked at Piz's door. Her initial response would be to go knock and hang out with Piz, but she still felt awkward after the last time she knocked on his door and he declined her company. Piper headed for the elevator and into the bar, ordering herself up a martini and finding a nice place by the window to sit and people watch.

She looked up when someone sat down and smiled at Wallace, lifting her glass, "Good evening, sir. What's a pretty girl like you doing in a place like this?"

He laughed and placed his gin and tonic on the table, "Saw Piz for a while, played some games, decided to hang around and have a drink to feel like a grown-up again. What about you?"

Piper shrugged, "Eh. Logan and Veronica borrowed my room for a while, I don't have anything else to do."

They toasted and looked out the window. Wallace's phone rang and he glanced at it, screening the call.

Piper sipped her martini, "Who's that?"

Wallace smiled secretively and leaned against the table, "If I show you, it's just to make you feel better. You can't tell Veronica or anybody, seriously. I mean it." His voice was stern, but he was smiling nevertheless.

She nodded gravely and threw up three fingers, "Scout's honor. I solemnly swear I am up to no good."

Wallace lifted an eyebrow at her, "That's Boy Scouts of America and the Maurader's Club from Harry Potter."

Piper shrugged nonchalantly, "I'm not up to date on pop culture. Stop critiquing me and just show me."

He smiled and held out the phone to her. Piper didn't understand at first, it was a photo of a lovely African-American woman and a child on the screen. He must have seen it in her face because he tapped her face, "That's Jackie. We dated in high school for a while, but we lost touch. I met up with her back in New York on a business thing, that's her son Ashton."

Piper still didn't understand, handing the phone back to Wallace, "I don't get it."

He laughed quietly, "That's my wife and step-son."

She gave him a surprised expression, "What? That's amazing, why didn't you say anything to anyone?"

He shrugged, "I don't know, I just didn't want to put that on everyone. Nobody missed the wedding or anything," Wallace stared down at the phone, "We got married at the courthouse in New York, they moved with me to Chicago. It's only been a year, but it's been unreal," he looked up at Piper again, "Then my mom got sick and needed some help around the house so I had to come here. We Skype and talk every night, but I miss them, you know?"

Piper smiled and sipped her drink again, "Congratulations. That's really wonderful, Wallace," she put it down and played with the edge of the glass, "And here I was thinking you were all alone and Veronica was going to make your love life her next distraction."

They both laughed together and drank, watching pedestrians and check-ins at the hotel desk. Finally Wallace broached the subject Piper had forgotten about, "Talk to me about Piz. Are you just leading him on? Is he a vacation break from some guy back in New York?"

She sighed and stared at her drink, "No, he's not a break. I don't have a guy back in New York. Piz is a friend, he's a good guy and he's made this whole long-term break in Neptune less...alien."

Wallace nodded and stared at the bottom of his glass. He got to his feet and patted her shoulder, "Just don't break him. He's a fractured guy, that's an easy thing to do."

Piper smiled and watched Wallace leave. She didn't get up immediately, but she did eventually get up. Slowly, Piper opened the door to her room and peered inside. Logan and Veronica lay in her bed asleep, intertwined, their clothes in a visible pile by the door. She made an annoyed face at them, hoping it affected both of them in their sleep, and closed the door again. It was sleep in the hallway or ask Piz for his couch space.

Piz hear the gentle knock on his door and got out of bed, putting his book on the night stand. He opened the door and Piper stood in front of him, waving slightly, "Hey." she said.

"Hey. Are you locked out again?" This wouldn't be the first time she locked herself out of her hotel room, Piz half expected it this time. She just got frustrated with the lock and thought he worked very specific witchcraft on the magnetic lock.

"No, not this time. Logan and Veronica…._borrowed_ my hotel room. I don't want to step in and make them break it up, you know how it is."

"I can't specifically recall an event where I was ousted from my hotel room, no." He opened the door wider and let her inside, "You can use the couch."

Piper put her hands on his shoulders and thanked him, "This is at least three times better than sleeping in the hallway."

"Oh good," he said, grabbing the extra blanket and pillow from the closet, "I'm glad I am marginally more appealing to you than a dirty hallway filled with left over room service trays. Really, that's a great feeling."

Piper threw a couch cushion at him, "You know what I mean. Pretending you don't just makes you a douchebag."

He threw the pillow and blanket at her and sat on the couch at her feet, "So why did Veronica take over your room?"

Piper explained what happened to him, telling him these things just seemed normal. She didn't hesitate, just started talking about what should have seemed personal, like she used to do with Veronica before they came to Neptune. Piper didn't even think about it, not telling Piz would have been strange to her. They were both strangers here in Neptune, neither of them knew many people and both of them had been lucky to wind up around outsiders. They shared a kinship that was different from Veronica and her high school friends.

Piz nodded slowly, shocked, "Wow. That's insane," he looked over at her as she puffed the guest pillow up, "You had no idea?"

"Nope," Piper shook her head, "she never mentioned it."

He whistled and lifted his hands up, Piper placed her feet in his lap and nodded, "Yeah, she didn't mention it to me either, not until tonight." Her voice was tinged with sadness.

Piz rested his hands, warm and comforting, on her ankles, "Then I think I'm obligated to let you stay here."

They watched TV for a while until Piper fell asleep, Piz went to move her feet off of him and she grumbled in her sleep. He felt bad, pushing her off of him, and decided to ignore the uncomfortable back of the couch. They fell asleep on the sofa together, Piper rolled on her side and Piz holding her feet in his lap.

In the morning, Piper blinked herself awake, she glanced down at her side and realized Piz had laid down against her, his head perfectly resting in the curve of her side. She went to lift her hand up and realized her fingers were clasping his, her face burned and she tried to shove him with her knees to wake him up. Piz didn't move. Piper sighed and laid there as she was, slowly drifting in and out of sleep.

Her dreams were restless, confusing, disjointed. It was a fractured city, dilapidated and falling down all around her. She pulled a hood over her head and walked through what she assumed was rain. Everything stopped. Piz walked up to her in her dream and grabbed her shoulder, pulling her to him and kissing her, "Don't go."

His voice echoed, her eyes snapped open and she was released from the dream. Piper was alone in the room, she heard the shower going and sat up, feet on the floor. She ran her hands over her face and through her hair, deciding leaving was better than lingering, and headed back to her room.

Logan and Veronica were gone, the maid service had already been through. Piper lay down on the bed with a short, sharp exhale, and stared at the ceiling. She felt herself slipping away, losing sight of her long-term goal. Everything was going to come together, but she felt like she had already lost it. Piper shifted her mind away from her dream, from her internal desires, and recalled the mangled body of her sister. She remembered the feeling of opening the door to officers standing out on the porch, the feeling of packing up Angela's room, the feeling of virulent loathing of organized crime. She had been too situated on being social to remember Angela, she had done what everyone else had done in this case.

Piper ran her palms across her eyes and stared at the ceiling as hard as she could. These weren't her friends, these were Veronica's friends. Nothing tied Piper here anymore, nothing linked her to them. She was trying to forge a link that didn't exist when she should have been focused on her case.

She got to her feet and opened the file. Piper pulled the photos, the reports, all of it out of the folder and taped it back up for a third time. She stared at the web of information in front of her and resolved to wait for Keith's call, to stop trying to involve herself in the lives of people she barely knew.


	14. Flying

**Author's Note:**I'm trying to push for 20 chapters, I know now when I want which things to happen when. I've got to say I'm super stoked that OC content is being well received, normally it's flogged. I made a few corrections to some of the other chapters, thanks to helpful ff.n commenters! Let me know if you see a mistake I made, usually I don't notice until after it's already up and I've reread my chapters like six times.

**Chapter 14: Flying**

"I can't believe you roped me into this," Mac looked accusingly at Veronica as she pulled her beach towel out of her back seat, "I could be sleeping right now."

Veronica crossed her arms, "This is an act. You're so excited to sit on the beach and watch some surfing." The two of them walked down to the shoreline and spread out their towels, Veronica pointed to Logan and he pointed back from across the water.

Dick paddled up alongside Logan and waved at them, "So they're just gonna sit there and watch us surf?"

Logan shrugged, "She wanted to. I may have plied her with the promise of tacos at that shady stand she likes."

"The one that looks like someone is gonna walk out Patient Zero? No dice, man. You're on your own there." Dick patted his shoulder.

Mac sighed and drew her knees up to her chest, "So we just sit here and watch them do their thing?"

Veronica nodded, "Yup, I said I would come and watch him surf. He asked me to. Plus I made him promise to take me to that taco place."

"Oh," Mac looked disgusted, "If the zombie outbreak starts in Neptune, I'm going to name you as the first patient."

Together they watched Logan and Dick surfing, Dick went under fast, Logan rode a few waves before deciding he had enough. Both of them paddled to shore and trudged out of the surf, sticking their boards into the sand. Logan sat down on Veronica's towel and shook his head at her, casting water droplets all over her.

Veronica shrieked and put up her hands, "You're the worst, no, stop it!"

Dick looked over at Mac, she smiled at him politely. He stared at his feet for a few moments before looking back at her, "You surf?"

Mac frowned and raised an eyebrow, "Is that a serious question?"

He shrugged, she shook her head, "Want to know how?"

"Not really. Something about balance and core strength that involves very little computer programming." Mac had meant it as a joke, but Dick looked a little disappointed.

"It's cool, it's not for everyone I guess." He leaned back on his hands, watching Veronica and Logan, "You two are seriously gross, dude."

"Are you jealous, one man lonely island?" Logan shot back.

"Of Veronica, yeah," Dick reached out and brushed his foot over Logan's, "You know how I get, boo."

Mac laughed and looked up at Dick's surf board again, part of her was curious and the other part was unbelievably repelled from surfing. She had never been an outdoors kind of person, much less anything to do with large, dark bodies of water. Despite herself, Mac got up and brushed herself off, "Fine, show me."

Dick broke into a smile and got to his feet, "Ok, well, come on." he plucked the board from the sand and led Mac over to a more open space on the beach.

Veronica watched them, Logan's arm around her shoulders, "How come you never taught me how to surf?"

"Because you cause enough trouble on land, I can't let you conquer the sea, too." He smiled down at her while she rolled her eyes at him, "How did you sleep last night?"

The question of the day. Everyone seemed to want to know how Veronica had been dealing with her nightmares. The truth of it was that they were still as bad as they had been, but she was talking about them now and trying to make sense of them, "Okay. Good not great."

"What was this one about?"

"Same one as last time," she reached up and laced her fingers through his absently, "I just have to remember it's a dream is all."

Mac stood on the board in the sand and spaced her feet out, she crouched down again and jumped back to her feet. She did this a few times before Dick clapped slightly, "See? You could totally get this down. This stuff is easy."

"You say that now and with the certainty of thirteen years on a surf board. I'm more confident on a rolling office chair," Mac stood, disheartened, on the board, "This is ridiculous and I'm never going to stand up in the water."

"It's good to know. In case of emergencies or whatever."

"Emergencies? Name one that requires a surfboard." she stepped off onto the stand next to him, "Thanks. I know more about standing on a stationary board than I did before I got here."

Dick patted her on the back and let his hand linger there, "Someday you'll regret not trying this on the water."

She smiled up at him and they stared at each other for a moment before she looked away, "I guess we're leaving." Veronica and Logan had stood up and were folding the towel they had been sitting on.

The four of them walked back to Logan's SUV and Mac's Genesis, Dick strapped the boards to the SUV, "So where to now, dude?"

Logan shrugged and wrapped an arm around Veronica's waist, kissing her gently, "I believe I promised my lady 'fish' tacos." He emphasized with air quotes.

"Uhg, disgusting. I'm not going there." Dick pulled a t-shirt over his head and tossed his hair to the side.

Mac frowned at Veronica, "Yeah, no, me neither. You're flying solo on shady taco place."

Veronica looked offended, "You guys are so closed minded, it's amazing and their food is the best. Just because it doesn't look so great on the outside-"

"Veronica, that taco shack was seen on a UNICEF ad." Dick interjected.

"That is totally not accurate and their food is the best. You don't have a choice anyway, you didn't drive." Veronica put her hands on her hips and looked at him, victorious.

He grimaced and looked at Mac for help, she shifted for a moment before coming to his rescue, "I'll drive you home."

"Done." Dick said, "Later, suckers. Enjoy your salmonella." He opened the passenger side door and climbed in.

Veronica shook her head and looked at Logan, "Are you sure it isn't too late for you to choose a different best friend? Maybe a human best friend this time?"

Logan sighed and shrugged, "But I really like this one. Oh well. I'll take him to the pound tomorrow."

They got into the SUV and headed down the road to Senor Cabeza, the run-down, ramshackle taco place Veronica had come to countless times with Keith. Mac drove Dick back towards the beach house, silent and unsure what to even say.

"I can't believe she eats there. Logan is going to bring some virus home with him," Dick offered staring out the window, "This is a pretty sweet car."

"Thanks. I decided I wanted something sporty. You know, to match my personality." Mac made it clear she was joking and he laughed slightly.

"Don't sell yourself short, you're a pretty cool girl. I get why Beav- Cassidy liked you." Dick caught himself using Cassidy's hated high school moniker.

Mac smiled politely, she hadn't thought about Cassidy in years. It was intentional, he wasn't exactly something she was proud of in her life. The psychiatrist told her it wasn't her fault and nothing she did would have changed what happened, but Mac felt stupid anyway. Cassidy had made an ass out of her, but she refused to let it dictate the rest of her life, "You're not such a bad guy, Dick. Cassidy always went off about what a bully you were, but everyone's a bully in high school."

Dick frowned, embarrassed, and changed the subject, "Did your brother say anything else when you guys left?"

She shrugged, "Not really, Ryan is like that though. He is pretty convinced you like me, I tried to tell him you just feel bad for me being the ex-girlfriend of a mass murderer. It's a connection, I don't think he gets it."

They pulled up to the house and Mac got out of the car with him, she wasn't sure why. Dick let her inside and grabbed both of them beers and a bag of chips, they both leaned against the counter, "So you're a beer drinker."

"Dick, I've never said no when you offer me one. Of course I am. I just don't party as hard as you," Mac sipped the drink and turned to look out the window, "I wish my condo had a view as awesome as this."

"Views are expensive, that's basically what we paid for. I mean, a house made of almost all windows? We didn't buy it for the security." Though it came with a gated driveway in an already gated community manned by an armed security guard.

Dick walked around and stood next to her, leaning against the counter. Mac sighed and drank again, watching the ocean roll in and out, the sun fixed high in the sky. She listened to the rush of the waves and the gulls crying, letting the salty air roll over her face when she closed her eyes. Something moved in front of her closed eyes and she went to open them, but was stopped when Dick leaned down and kissed her.

The last time he had tried this, it ended poorly and Mac had been mildly disgusted. This time? This time was different. She felt herself swelling with the rush of it all, the sounds of the ocean she had been listening to faded into the background and she closed her eyes again, wrapping her arms around his neck. Dick picked her up and sat her on the counter, hands tangled in her short hair, searching her neck, arms, shoulders.

Mac regained her senses and pushed him back, sliding off the counter, "Wait."

Dick stopped abruptly and backed away, letting her go. He ran a hand over his face, "I'm sorry. I'm really sorry. That was not cool." She wasn't sure if he was talking to her or himself.

"No, no. It's fine. I should go, probably." Mac's cheeks burned and she knew she was rushing out the door, but she couldn't stop herself. She clamored into her car and exhaled deeply, 'That was stupid, what are you even doing, Mac? Get a hold of yourself!'.

Dick watched her drive and ran a hand through his hair, letting out a loud, frustrated sound, "I'm such an asshole!" he said to himself, "That was probably the _worst possible thing_ I could have done in that moment."

Logan and Veronica sat at one of the tables inside the shack, Veronica enthusiastically chowed into her food while Logan watched with a face of amusement. He reached out and brushed salsa off her face and she swatted his hand away.

"Okay, okay. I get it, don't touch," Logan threw up his hands in defeat and ate his own.

She felt her phone buzz and touched it gently, a message from Piz lit up her screen:

_U see Piper today? Can't find her._

Veronica typed back slowly and carefully:

_Nope. No word all day. Let u know if I c her._

A few seconds passed before it buzzed again:

_Thx_

Logan glanced at her phone and frowned, "Everything ok with Piz?" He still got defensive over the fact that Veronica had given him her number. Emergencies only, but still made him uncomfortable.

"Yeah, he asked if Piper was with us," she didn't seem phased or annoyed by it, so Logan convinced himself not to be either. They finished lunch and headed back to the Land Rover, back towards the beach house.

Veronica looked over at Logan slowly, almost forlornly, "Would you really leave Neptune if I went back to New York?"

"You say 'if' like there's a chance you could give up your FBI career," Logan noted to her, "And yes, I could."

"But, Logan, your whole life is here. Everyone you know, everyone you care about-"

"Is either dead or moved across the country. Dick is the only exception and I'm not sure I want to be his heterosexual life partner." Logan glanced back at her.

"Is uprooting your career worth doing for this? We've been together, what, two months?"

"Long enough for me to know what I want, that's how long," he looked at her seriously, "We have been together since the first time you kissed me, we have never stopped being together since that day. Distance, emotions, none of it has stopped the fact that we're always tied to one another."

Veronica looked at her hands, "You're so sure of this, anytime I bring it up. Why?"

"Because I know you, I know that having been without you was the worst part of my life." Logan was so sure because he had never been capable of seeing his future differently, his relationship differently. The inability to see his life without Veronica was what made him so sure.

She nodded slowly, understandingly, not wanting to talk about it anymore. Leaving in six weeks wasn't something she had wanted to discuss, not now and not when Rodney had called two nights ago. Veronica looked out the window and glanced down at her phone, rereading Piz's texts to her. It wasn't so weird to go without contacting Piper now, it wasn't so weird for Piz to be Piper's person, but it was so weird to have Piper's new person asking the old person where she was. That tugged on a string of worry in Veronica's mind.

Piper knocked on Keith's door and opened it at the same time, he was sitting at his desk with a stack of files next to him while he typed something on a laptop. He looked up and gave her a fatherly smile, "You got my message."

She nodded, taking only a single step inside the door. Her frosty blue eyes were hard as she watched him reach over and pick up the pile of folders. Keith handed it to Piper, but made her walk towards the desk to get it. She snatched it out of his hand, "Thank you. What do I owe you."

"Nothing," he shook his head, "I didn't solve the first case, so you can take these on me."

"The first case?" Piper picked up on his words.

Keith looked at her secretively, "Your sister's case. I was the Investigator who worked that case for your parents."

Piper stared at him, wide-eyed. Of course it would have been Keith. Piper was fifteen when the murder had been committed, Keith would have already been removed from his sheriff position by then and started working as a P.I. "You what?"

"You aren't the first one to think Angela didn't overdose," Keith searched her face for something else, "Whatever you're about to get involved in, Piper, just be careful. This rabbit hole is dark and terrible, anywhere Liam Fitzpatrick is winds up dark and terrible."

She nodded, "I've started to notice it's a theme with him." Without waiting for his reply, Piper left the office, stack of folders in hand. So, Keith Mars had been the one to investigate Angela's death. He hadn't been able to prove anything and was pawning the case off on her, but he had been to Harvy Oldman's place recently to obtain a recorded statement. Was Keith trying to help her, or hinder her?

At the Neptune Grand, Piper walked briskly across the lobby. She heard Piz call for her, but chose to ignore him. He must have known it was intentional, he only called out to her twice. Instead, Piper walked directly to the elevator and into her room, reminding herself she needed to stop letting herself get distracted while she leafed through the files.

Multiple deaths, all with the same false drug overdose, all teens found in strange places. Of course, all of them had been ruled accidental overdose deaths, and that made Piper smile cynically. Finally, she got to another folder. It wasn't related to the murders, it was related specifically to Angela. A list of names and phone numbers, all part of the police report who had identified themselves at Junipero High School as close friends of Angela's.

'So,' Piper thought, 'Keith hasn't dropped the case completely. Or maybe he's handing all his research over to me?' It didn't matter. Piper pulled her phone out of her purse and dialed the first number on the list.

Piz sat in the lobby after Piper had ignored him, it was obvious she had heard him and chose not to respond. He just didn't understand why. He tried to recall if he said anything or did anything the night she crashed on his couch to make her upset, since then she had barely spoken to him and had gone out of her way to avoid him. Piz should have been angry or hurt, but really he was just frustrated. He wished Piper would just tell him what he had done wrong.

'It isn't like she had a whole lot of places to go,' Piz drank the last of his water quickly and got to his feet. Five days Piper had ignored him, five days Piz had no idea what it was he did wrong. He made the decision to find out what was going on, 'Man up, don't be such a giant baby about it. Just talk to her. At the very least, she's your friend and she should tell you if you're not anymore.'

Piz got into the elevator and off at their floor, he walked straight to Piper's door and urged himself to stay on track and knock. So he did, hard, three times. Piper flung the door open, she didn't seem to believe in checking before she opened a door which Piz couldn't help but think was a really bad decision for an FBI Agent.

"Oh. Piz. What do you need?" Piper's expression seemed to be fighting itself, trying to be cold and distant when it wanted to be warm and close.

Piz had thought up an impromptu speech about friendship and apologizing for whatever he needed to apologize for, but something broke. Something had come undone inside him and he didn't say a word, instead Piz felt his body moving on its own. He grabbed Piper, gently and firmly, and pulled her towards him. His lips were on hers in a deep, powerful kiss he hadn't expected to come from his own body.

Piper hid a slight, surprised gasp, but didn't stop him. She touched his skin and felt like light trailed under her fingertips, everything about that few seconds was warmth and fire. It wasn't long, but it was enough to make her stop playing games with calling him 'just a friend'. Finally, Piz let her go and stepped back, nodding to himself. He cleared his throat and walked down the hallway to his room.

Piz sat on the couch in silence, staring at the door, 'What is wrong with me? What is going on? I leave in a week, I can't go around kissing girls I hardly know.' But Piper wasn't a girl he hardly knew, she was someone he had grown to know quite well in his few weeks stuck in Neptune.

Piper stared at the open space in front of her and touched her lips gently with her fingers, recalling the warm feeling that had chased them over Piz's arms, like touching Christmas lights. She closed the door slowly and sank down onto the couch, unable to focus on the files anymore.

What had started out as a trip for vengeance and supportive friendship had dissolved into something entirely different.


	15. Alone Together

**Author's Note: **Power to the awkward situations! I kind of deviated a little last chapter from my original plan, I was going to wait to have Piz kiss Piper until the very end. Now I'm going to use this to my advantage. It just felt like the right progression for the two of them now. I also need to fluff up Veronica and Logan, I know this, but that's what Chapter 16 is for. There is a method to the madness, I promise.

**Chapter 15: Alone Together**

Piper sat in front of her laptop, notepad and pen ready off to the side. She stared at the Skype icon, waiting for the tiny phone to jingle. Of the seven numbers on the paper Keith gave her, only three still worked and only one woman was willing to talk to her. Piper insisted on video chat, the recorder would be very helpful in this incident when Piper turned over her information to the Feds. Finally, the phone bleeped and she answered it. The woman on the other end was only a little younger than Piper, barely out of college from the looks of her.

"Good morning, Mandy," she said, "I'm Piper, Angela's sister."

"I remember, nice to see you again." Mandy looked familiar, Piper was sure she had seen her before, "So what's this about, what do you want to know?"

"I just wanted to know if you had any idea who Angie was hanging out with before she died. Was she seeing someone? Did she have a friend you never met? Bad people? Anything?"

Mandy shrugged and pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose, "Not really. I mean, she was always really nice and really smart, everyone liked her. There was one guy, though. I didn't like him, he was way older and was giving her all this weird attention," Mandy paused and frowned, "After him, she started to change. She got anxious and snappy, started meeting kids in the lot I didn't know. Angie was always around this guy towards the end of it."

"Did he look like this?" Piper held up a photo of Liam so Mandy could see it.

"Yeah, that's the guy. He had shorter hair and no goatee then, but him for sure. I'd remember him."

"Did you ever contact him or find out his name?"

"Angela called him 'Frank', but she refused to let me talk to him. She said I would try to 'steal it away'. I didn't really know what she meant, but I know that when she started hanging around groups of kids, those kids started getting hit for things like drug paraphernalia or possession. Angela started to become, well, bad news." Mandy looked at Piper apologetically.

"Did Frank ever try to get you involved in anything? Come up to you or whatever?"

Mandy shook her head, "No. I did see Frank and Angie fighting the day before she died. It was over by the Gaslight District, I saw them when I had lunch with my mom. It was super-heated, Frank was yelling so much he was red."

"What did Angela do when he yelled at her?"

"She shouted back," Mandy shrugged, "You know how she was. Hot-headed, shoot first ask later. When they found her, I didn't say anything. I didn't know the guy, I wasn't sure if Frank was even his real name."

Piper nodded and stared at the photo, absolutely of Liam, and pondered it, "Did he ever come by with anyone who had an accent or anything?"

Mandy shook her head, then hesitated, "Well, once. I heard one of his friends had an accent, Irish or Scottish or something."

Piper nodded again and smiled at her, thanking her for her time before she ended the session. She stared at the photo and wrote underneath Liam, 'Frank?'

It took Piper a while to finish getting ready that morning. She slowly curled her hair and draped it over her shoulder, took her time mulling over everything she had gotten from Mandy. Of all the girls claiming to be close with Angela, only one had been willing to give her the time of day.

Piper's phone buzzed and it pulled her out of her lull, "Hello?"

"Turn on your TV. Channel 9." Keith said. Piper didn't ask how he got her cell number.

Piper did, she said nothing and clicked up the volume. A blond newscaster stood outside a familiar building in Los Angeles, pressing her finger against her earpiece as she spoke:

"_The body has been identified as a one Harvy Oldman, presumed to be the victim of a violent home invasion. Found early this morning by a neighbor, Harvy sustained a fatal gunshot wound to the temple-"_

Piper turned off the TV and sat down, one hand covering her mouth, "What does this mean?"

"This means that rabbit hole is coming your way."

She hung up and stared at her phone, suddenly numb everywhere. What did this mean? Did Liam know it was Piper who had met with Harvy? This was too much of a coincidence to be ignored.

Her phone buzzed again with a text message. Piz again.

_Can we talk?_

Piper wasn't sure how to respond to it, so she didn't. It buzzed again.

_The good thing about an iPhone is I can see when u read my txt._

She frowned, that was sloppy, sloppy work of her. Piper texted back after a few moments of contemplating what to say:

_Not sure what to talk about. _

_R u sure about that?_

_...no._

_Come over here and talk to me. Pls._

Piper relented, she got up and walked out the door over to Piz's room, poised to knock. The elevator dinged and she looked over, Veronica was walking quickly towards her.

"Piper, can I talk to you?"

What was with everyone needing to talk to her all of a sudden? "Uh, sure, let me just-"

"Come on."

And ordering her to go places! What was this? She felt herself growing frustrated, overwhelmed at this sudden demand for her attention, "Two seconds."

She walked back to her hotel room door and pulled out her phone again, replying to Piz.

_Veronica just showed up. Later?_

_After then. Pls don't blow me off._

Piper sighed heavily and let Veronica inside, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Well, something. Logan is planning on leaving Neptune and coming back with me to New York after the case," Veronica was panicking a little, she felt like the catalyst and it was going to ruin everything for Logan here in California.

Piper shrugged, "He's a grown man, Logan can do what he wants."

"I don't think he should go to New York," that surprised Piper, "His whole life is here. Uprooting that would be catastrophic. I don't think he realizes this yet."

"Are you sure that's the problem? You should be chomping at the bit to get him to come with you." Then Piper saw it, what Veronica was hinting at, "Unless you're planning on taking the LA job and staying here."

"I don't know yet," she blushed, "I wanted to wait, to see what happens with Logan. This is moving so fast right now, I don't know if I can deal with this."

"Veronica," Piper grabbed her shoulders and sat her down on the couch, "You love Logan, Logan loves you, so much it's seriously grossing me out to think about. He wants to be with you, he wants to move to New York with you. Don't be an idiot, accept this. This kind of love shows up once every hundred years, people write epics about it, it gets made into movies. Stop being self-destructive."

Veronica considered it and sighed, "I just don't know, I know I have to go back to New York either way. I just don't know what I'm going to do when I get there."

"If you're worried about Logan uprooting himself, then move. Quit and move back here."

That surprised Veronica, "What?"

"Move here and be with him," Piper sighed and moved closer to her, "Look, the only thing you're tied to in New York is your lease, nothing else."

Veronica looked at her sadly, "What about my best friend?"

It made Piper smile to still be considered like that, "She will be fine. She is a strong, capable woman who will find the strength to deal with another partner if she must." Weeks ago, Piper would have fought Veronica on this, would have refused not to transfer with her. Now, it was clear that they had begun the arduous process of becoming full-fledged emotional adults. Sure, Veronica and Piper had a serious adult career, but both of them seemed to be lacking something, some finite emotional detail that transitioned them into full blown adulthood. Piper had finally figured out what it was even if Veronica hadn't: they lacked the ability to come to terms with their emotions. Veronica had started to come into hers, started to talk with someone about what she was dealing with who wasn't also dealing with the same thing. The fact of the matter was that Piper couldn't be that person for Veronica anymore. Piper was always facing the same challenge, she couldn't be someone to help Veronica reason through what was brewing inside her anymore.

"What happened to separating us being like separating two lungs?"

"The only thing that will make you stop breathing now is if you leave Logan behind, Logan is your lung. I'm just the hospital board preventing the separation." It hurt Piper to admit it, it hurt Veronica to hear it, but it was the truth. Logan was why Veronica's heart beat, anyone who said otherwise wasn't looking at all.

They sat quietly for a while before Piper realized she had omitted something important from Veronica. Her hands twisted around themselves for a second, "Piz kissed me."

She stared at Piper, wide-eyed, "Shut up."

"You shut up."

"What? What happened? What are you going to do?"

Piper shrugged, "I have literally no idea. I have tried really hard not to think about it," she gestured at the growing mass of information taped to the wall, "But he's making me talk to him today."

Veronica stared at the wall, "That might not be a bad thing. You normally prefer face to face confrontation." It should have been awkward to hear that her college flame was kissing her closest friend, but for some reason it didn't feel weird at all.

"Not when it involves specifically emotions." Piper followed her gaze, "No. No, no, no. You don't get to help me with this part, not unless Logan says it's okay."

Veronica got up and stared at the pictures, "Logan isn't my keeper."

"Eh, but he kind of is."

"But he's not."

"Yeah but he is though." Piper got up and took Veronica by the shoulder, steering her away from the wall. She half pushed her out of the hotel room, "Stop being self-destructive, I'll figure out what I have to do. This was a good talk, enlightening."

"Ah yes, the old bait and switch otherwise known as the old grab someone and push them out the door. That's a subtle way of telling me you don't want me around," Veronica crossed her arms over her chest, "Don't forget about lunch at Logan's. I left Mac like three messages, but I haven't heard from her."

Piper waved at her as she walked down the hallway to the elevator, pulling out her phone again and hitting dial after Veronica was out of sight. Logan answered, "Hey, Piper."

"Hey, so I'm working my case again. Veronica tried to nose her way in, but I told her to talk to you first."

"I'm sure that went over well."

"Oh, smashingly. Also what is this about lunch at your place?"

"Yeah, we decided to have people over for food, nothing big though. You can bring Piz if you want."

Now everyone assumed Piz was attached to Piper, that kind of upset her, "Just me. Thanks."

She hung up and took a deep breath, trying to calm her thrumming pulse. Piper walked out of her hotel room and stood in front of Piz's door. Reluctantly, she knocked.

Mac parked the Genesis in the driveway and stared at the windowed facade of the house that now seemed somehow imposing more than sunny and welcoming. She walked inside and waved at Veronica and Logan, "Hey, guys."

Dick walked out of his room, "Hey, Logan have you seen my- Mac," he stopped in his tracks and took a step backwards, "Uh, hey. How are you?"

She stared at him, "Good," her voice was small, she swallowed hard, "Good. Thanks."

"Oh. Cool."

They stood there, both seemingly awkward. Veronica and Logan stared at both of them, Veronica broke the silence, "Well this is weird for some reason."

They looked away from one another and Mac beamed at Veronica, "I got your six messages, I was busy when you called."

"No problem," Veronica was staring at her critically, trying to discern this new awkward shiftiness Mac had developed.

Logan was staring up at Dick, he was acting weird. Dick? Awkward and a little nervous? That was completely unheard of. In Logan's entire friendship with him, the only time he had seen Dick get this way was when his dad came back into town unannounced seven years ago. Logan and Veronica looked at each other and exchanged a secretive smirk, he kissed her cheek, and jogged upstairs after Dick.

Mac put her bag on the counter and sat at the breakfast bar, Veronica shifted to be closer to her, "What is this? What are you doing?"

Mac looked at her blankly, "What are you talking about?"

Veronica rolled her eyes, "Stop making this conversation all questions. You're being weird." She left out the fact that it was seemingly only with Dick, but that was obvious.

Mac flushed, bright red, and shook her head, "I really would rather not talk about it," but Veronica's interest was piqued and Mac could see it on her face, "Please don't do this to me. I love you right now, I don't want to not love you after I leave."

She was saved by a buzz from Veronica's phone. Piper hadn't showed up yet.

_Can't make it. Regrets xx_

Veronica sighed and put her phone back into her purse, "She's going to make me want to hurt her."

"Piper seems to have that effect on people sometimes," Mac firmly believed Piper would side with Veronica and keep pushing her to talk. It made her more frustrated, "So what're we doing for lunch, anyway? This lunch date has a surprising lack of food." She seized the opportunity to change the subject.

"Logan has bread and sandwich stuff. We really go all out sometimes." Veronica gestured at the fridge.

Mac distracted herself and got up, starting to pull things out of the fridge to make sandwiches with, "I can't believe I took a long lunch for sandwiches."

Upstairs, Logan had cornered Dick, "So, man, you want to talk about what's up with you and Mac?"

Dick made an outraged noise, "Me and Mac? What're you even talking about, dude?"

"I'm just wondering how dumb you think I am? Stevie Wonder could have seen the tension." Logan folded his arms and leaned against the door frame, watching Dick hunt through his closet for something. He got the distinct impression Dick was trying to avoid him on the subject.

Dick sighed and stopped, turning to Logan, "Mac's stupid brother just said something and I overthought it and now it's just weird between us, ok?"

"I find it hard to believe you overthought something, Dick."

"I might've just done a stupid thing, can we leave it alone?" Dick plead.

Logan threw up his hands in defeat, "Fine, fine. Whatever you say," He turned and walked downstairs, leaning down to whisper to Veronica, "We leave for a few hours and suddenly the world is backwards."

Veronica looked up at him wide-eyed in agreement, "Right? Jeeze, five minutes out of the house and we miss body snatchers taking over Dick and Mac."

"I should never have let you watch that movie," Logan kissed her lightly.

They ate quietly, Veronica probed Mac about her job and discovered very quickly she was not as up-to-date on tech speak as she had hoped. Dick was silent, distracting himself with his sandwich while Mac spoke, but Logan caught him stealing looks at her from across the counter. He had the feeling he might have figured out what stupid thing Dick did. Veronica excused herself and went into Logan's bedroom – more Logan and Veronica's now than anything else – and waited a few minutes before calling for him.

"Logan, can you help me with something?"

He smiled politely and got up, "Pardon me, milady is calling."

They stood in his room together and she hopped from foot to foot excitedly, "I don't need your help, I just want to see what happens."

"I'm not sure if this is cruel or brilliant." They both pressed themselves up against the door, stifling one another's laughter.

Mac looked around the house, anywhere but at Dick, and finally pushed her stool back, "Well, I should get back to work."

Dick nodded, "Probably," he got up with her, intending to walk her back to her car or something, he wasn't entirely clear.

They walked silently to the front door and Mac, paused, turning to face him. Dick's face was thoughtful, pensive almost, and she was surprised with the clarity with which he was letting her see him, "I'm really sorry."

She smiled against her will and nodded, "Really, it's okay. Someday this," Mac gestured between the two of them, "won't be so awkward anymore."

But she wasn't so sure she wanted it to be okay, she didn't want it to be exactly like it was, that pseudo-friendship they had fostered since Cassidy died. Dick stared down at her for a moment that seemed to stretch deep into forever, Mac found herself full of questions, of possibilities and what-ifs and maybes. She was suddenly unsure of herself, unbalanced in her own feet. She reached up slowly, very cognizant of what she was doing, and pushed Dick's hair out of his face, "You have nice eyes, stop trying to hide them"

Dick took her hand as she dropped it away from his face and held it. They didn't speak, just stood there for a few seconds in silence. Finally, he let her hand go and she left, but he watched her plainly, not hiding inside or pretending his phone was going off this time.

Veronica twisted her face at Logan, "I couldn't hear anything. I think Mac left."

Logan nodded, staring at her curiously, "Seriously, what did we miss?"

She let out a whispered laugh, "I have no idea!" This was fun, eavesdropping with Logan. He must have been enjoying himself, too, because her laugh seemed to have infected him.

Veronica sighed and walked back to the bed, exhaling as she let herself fall backwards. Logan did the same on the other side so their heads were beside one another, "Dick won't tell me anything."

"Mac won't tell me anything, either."

He reached up and found her hand, tracing her fingers, "Piper said she started up her case again."

Veronica frowned, Piper must have called him "Yeah, why?"

"Do you want to help her with it?"

Veronica considered the question seriously, she wasn't entirely sure she wanted to be involved anymore. Slowly, cases like that had been losing their appeal. It may have been due to the serial killer ex, but it might have also had something to do with whether she wanted to carry around the sense of constant mistrust she always inevitably began to foster. Laying there, holding Logan's hand, she wasn't sure, "I don't know anymore."

He had expected a resounding 'Yes' from her. Something was changing for Veronica, something immense and previously immobile, like a boulder sitting in the middle of a hallway, "I won't stop you if you want to."

She nodded and didn't say anything, enjoying the case-free time spent here in this moment. She had tried to promise herself to live in the moment, to stop moving constantly and take a break. Maybe this was her chance to step back, to actually commit herself to that promise.

Piz had opened the door slowly, moved far enough to the side that Piper got the physical cue to enter the hotel room. He closed it and turned to face her, his eyes confused, "Thanks. For not blowing me off."

She nodded, "Sure."

The tautness of the air between them was palpable, she felt like she could reach out and pluck it like a guitar string. Piz cleared his throat and opened his mouth, words just poured out whether he liked it or now, "I didn't think it would make things this weird, and I don't really know why I did it. I wasn't going to kiss you, I just wanted to talk and ask you why you were ignoring me. I missed you when you ignored me, I miss you even more now that you're totally shutting me out. Whatever that was the other night I didn't know it would destroy something with a good friend. I don't want it to push you out of my life completely, you live a train ride away from Boston and I didn't think we'd stop being friends after all this. If I could go back in time and do it again, I would have stuck with giving you a speech, but I don't know if I could have. I didn't even feel like I was in my own skin when I did it and I'm sorry."

Piper listened to him carefully, trying to cull the honest annoyance she felt when she replied, "I have been here for three months, rapidly approaching four. I came here to be a shoulder for Veronica and to finally close this case I've been chasing for years. Then _you_ showed up," she gestured at him angrily, "all dopey-eyed for Veronica still broken hearted. I decided to step in just once, to intervene in your stupid emotions and try and help you get over her. At first I thought you should have a shot, but then I figured it was a bad idea. I ended up losing Veronica as the closest thing I had to family because of her stupid not-boyfriend and you were there for that, you listened to me, you talked to me, you took up the rope where she let go, and I don't know what to do about that. I didn't come here anticipating you, I didn't come here to start feeling things or wrangle people's emotions. Then you just started doing it, firing up a furnace I tried to ice over a long, long time ago. You just stuck your hands in and started it up, you distracted me, you're still distracting me. I don't want emotional things in my life because they do nothing but slow me down. Now you're here and it's happening and I can't deal with it." Piper hadn't realized she was shouting a little until she had stopped.

Piz stared at her, confused still, and spoke slowly, "Piper, I never said anything about emotions."

"You don't have to. It's written on your face, you might as well give me a brochure," she bit her lip, hard, "I don't know how to handle this."

"Me either. Do you think I came here looking for someone any more than you did? Do you think I expected to see Veronica in the lobby or to get drunk with you on the couch? I didn't expect any of that, I definitely didn't expect you to waltz into my life like you did, but you're here. I can't make you any less here, I've tried." Piper felt a surge of something, a cacophony of rage, frustration, hurt, happiness, excitement, and something else she refused to name. Piz stared at her firmly, standing his ground in front of her. He wasn't entirely sure if they were fighting, talking, or making up.

"This is confusing." Piper's voice had softened.

"Yeah," Piz nodded, "It is." He was caught somewhere between defensive and apologetic.

Piper stepped forwards to him briskly and pulled him harshly towards her, she kissed him with something backed by the fire she felt surging in her veins. He didn't pull away. Piz wrapped his arms around her and kissed her back. Everything felt dizzy, the room spun around her, she felt herself slipping away. Piper felt his hands getting lost in her hair, he lifted her up and turned so he could sit back on the couch. She wrapped her legs around his waist and felt her fingers moving without her telling them to. Everything was a blur, fringed in a mistiness she couldn't name, but it all felt right. Piper felt everything moving at a hundred miles an hour, time disappeared underneath the moment she was in. Piz felt a rush of adrenaline like a tidal wave, he couldn't stop himself and didn't care about the powerlessness he felt. Whatever was happening wasn't something they were choosing, it was like the universe moved them with invisible string, tying them together whether they wanted it or not.

His hands were under her shirt, she pulled desperately at his. A flood had hit, full of repression and emotion and holding back. All of it washed away by this cascade that had possessed them both, desperate and hungry. Piper gasped softly, Piz breathed heavily against her cheek, they moved together like a symphony of sound, everything about that moment worked, it was entirely complete.

Piper lay against Piz's chest, at some point they had made their way off the couch and onto the bed, but she couldn't remember when. Piz moved his hand through hers, watching their fingers. Neither of them spoke, they just enjoyed the stillness that had settled in the room. The taut string had vanished, now all that there was between them felt like an empty pool waiting to be filled up again. Piper rolled over, suddenly remembering she was supposed to be at Logan and Dick's for lunch. She grabbed her phone off the floor and sent a text to Veronica, Piz didn't ask or say anything, he just her let be for a while.

_Can't make it. Regrets xx_


	16. In My Veins

**Author's Note:**Trust, sisters, TRUST. I know what I am doing. I didn't forget about anything. Plus, someone commented and brought up a good point about a creative decision I made, but I felt like it came out of the mouths of the characters better than me.

**Chapter 16: In My Veins**

Logan paced, hands clasped at the back of his head, trying to quell the frustration that had begun to boil in his chest. He couldn't help it, he whirled on Veronica and snapped, "Why?! Why are you fighting me _so_ hard to go back to New York with you? Is this just a game, a vacation for you?!"

"No!" Veronica cried back, "This isn't about you, this is about _me_!"

"Then I guess I'm not understanding you, Veronica. You've been pushing back ever since I brought it up as a possibility, I didn't even say I was going to do it and you pushed back!"

Veronica felt tears welling up in her eyes, tears of anger, sadness, hurt, "I can't be the only reason you want to leave Neptune, you can't want to leave just because of me. It has to come from you, you can't make that choice based on two months with the person I've become!" she let her tears roll over her cheeks now, "You still think I'm that girl from Hearst you left behind-"

"I _left behind_?! Veronica, you let me know in one too many words that you never wanted to see me again!" Logan shouted.

"If you felt like this, why didn't you chase me?!"

"Why would I chase someone who doesn't want to see me again!"

Veronica let out a frustrated shout, no words, just noise came from her mouth. That had done it for her, that had broken the emotional barrier and pushed her into fury, "I thought, just for a second, that if you had stayed at Hearst we would have found our way back to each other. We _always did_! And then you just…._left_! No note, no call, no letter, you just _checked out_!"

Logan turned his back to her, hands on his hips, and rubbed his eyes, "You don't get it at all. You don't remember the way you looked at me after I beat Piz into the ground," he turned to her and she saw he was trying not to cry, "Veronica, I was an idiot. I lost you because I was an idiot. If I do it again then I really am an idiot, whether or not I choose to think of myself like one. Please don't make me lose you again."

She didn't know what else to say, Veronica was still uneasy with being this close to someone again, this intimate. She had spent a lot of her early twenties trying to get over the girl she had been, the defensive and snappy know-it-all she used to be. Standing here shouting with Logan was testing every wall she had constructed to keep that girl at bay. She ran out of options in her mind, turning and grabbing her purse and jacket, "I'm going to go for a drive."

"Veronica-" Logan stepped after her, stopping when she held up her hand.

"Please, please just let me collect myself here." She left, closing the door more forcefully than she intended, and climbed into her Saturn.

Logan sat on the edge of the bed and sighed, putting his head in his hands, 'So resistant to anything that changes her environment. A girl who grew up sleuthing and solving mysteries and noticing details, put off by the smallest change to what's around her.'

Dick knocked on the door and didn't open it like he normally did, Logan forgot he shared his house while he was fighting with Veronica, "Dude, you alright in there? Do I need to call paramedics?"

"No," Logan shouted, "No, it's fine. Sorry, man. You can open it if you want."

He did, slowly, peering around the corner, "As I'm sure you guessed, I couldn't help but overhear your knock down fight. What's going down?"

"I don't know. You'd have to as Veronica that," Logan surprised himself with the venom in his own voice.

"Feisty blondes," Dick shook his head, "Don't sweat it, bro. Plenty of Veronicas in the sea."

Logan shook his head, "Nah, Dick, I don't think so," he got to his feet and pushed past Dick, "There's only one Veronica in this world I'm interested in."

"What about that Chelsea girl you dated for a while?"

"Her name was Emily," Logan opened the fridge and took out a beer, "And she was boring as sin, but I was rebounding and I didn't know any better."

"Whatever, they're all the same after a while," Dick leaned on the island and took Logan's beer, forcing Logan to grab another, "If you think she's the only one then tell her."

"What's this?" Logan raised his eyebrow, "They relationship guru Dick Casablancas has emerged into the room for our viewing pleasure?"

Dick spread his arms triumphantly, "Dude, I'm like a wealth of knowledge about chicks."

"Yeah if their I.Q. is two digits and they're looking for a young sugar daddy," Logan let out a slight laugh.

Dick pointed at him with the mouth of his bottle, "You're changing the subject, dude. What're you gonna do about Veronica."

"Go back with her whether she likes it or not." Logan shrugged again. He drank slowly, wondering how much trouble he would be in if he showed up at Veronica's door after she left. He still wasn't entirely sure why she was suddenly pushing him back and telling him to stay in Neptune, but then staying at his house every night. Logan refused to believe Veronica was just using him as a distraction, a distraction didn't fight with you, a distraction didn't kiss you the way she kissed him, didn't look at you the way she looked at him.

He was right, Veronica thought as she drove reflexively downtown. She wiped her eyes and stared at the road in front of her, reaching over and dialing Piper's number through the bluetooth system. It went straight to voicemail, which was a little strange since Piper never turned off her phone or let it die. Veronica didn't have the perception to think twice about it in that moment, calling the second number on her list.

Mac answered after two rings, "Hey! What can I do you for?"

"Hey, Mac," Veronica sniffed and tried to conceal it unsuccessfully, "Do you want to meet me at that stupid bar downtown? I could use a moment to talk."

It was the first time all vacation Veronica had called Mac just to talk to her, Mac was actually flattered and a little relieved, "Of course, I can be there in five from where I live."

"Thanks."

They hung up, Veronica parked and found two stools at the bar. She was staring deeply into the rosy hue of a glass of red wine when Mac found her, touching her back lightly so she didn't startle her. She sat down on the empty stool and ordered a Seven and Seven, looking at Veronica's red eyes, "I would ask if everything ok but that seems like a stupid question."

Veronica laughed slightly, "I'm just...in such a weird place right now. Logan wants to move back to New York with me and I think it's a bad idea."

"Why?" Mac sipped her drink, "I mean, look at you guys. The Brady Bunch would feel inferior."

Veronica sighed into her glass as she drank it, "Because New York isn't Neptune. He won't have surfing, Dick, his production thing. All of that goes away. Literally the only thing he will have in New York is me. That's not enough, that's not enough to abandon his whole life and move a world away," The bartender refilled her glass, Mac realized she wasn't sure how many glasses Veronica had consumed already.

"Then," Mac thought for a moment and then shrugged, "Why don't you move here? It's what I did. I just up and came back."

Veronica stared at her, slightly amazed, enough so Mac knew she was riding a healthy buzz, "I can't do that, my whole job is in New York."

"There's a bureau out here, too. I looked it up a while ago when you talked about coming back to California after your probation period, remember? Maybe they have something open." Mac finished her drink and switched to water, she had a sinking feeling she would be delivering Veronica back to Logan.

Veronica sighed and finished off another glass, tapping the rim for another, "I have a life back in New York, too. I have friends and work."

"And out here you have friends, family, work, and Logan," Mac studied her, "I'd say that wins out pretty heavily."

"Either way I'd have to go back to finish things up and pack, I couldn't move back for a year."

"So let Logan stay with you for half of it."

Veronica just groaned, not offering any real reaction. She put her hand under her chin and stared at the glass waiting to be touched.

Mac watched her and stirred the ice in her water absently, "Can I ask you something?"

"As long as it's not about why I don't move here." Veronica picked up her wine and sipped at it, Mac decided that was better than gulping it.

"Why didn't you ever talk to me about the Josh thing?" Mac had been burning to ask, but didn't want to bother her with that. In her mind, it had made sense, Veronica should have come to her because they shared a similar experience. It had never made sense why Veronica wouldn't talk to her.

Veronica smiled sadly and looked up at Mac, her eyes still tearing up a little, "Mac. I was there the whole time you went through everything after Cassidy. I watched how much it destroyed you, how much it hurt. If I had talked to you, I was afraid that would all come up and I would ruin you again for the next guy."

Mac nodded, it made sense. She hadn't thought about it from that angle, Veronica was trying to protect her from all of it, "Will you talk to me about it now? I promise no more two week stays under suicide watch."

"I don't even know where to start. I have nightmares, I sometimes feel Josh's breath on my shoulder, sometimes I'll hear things when I'm alone that sound like his voice. It's terrifying. It wouldn't be if he had just died, it would be sad and lonely. But the fact that he did what he did? It adds this element of sinister to everything related to Josh." Veronica scowled at the memory and tried to cast it out, "What did you do when that stuff happened to you?"

"Saw a shrink and got heavily medicated," Mac let out a slight laugh, "I was young, I didn't know how to handle the gravity of all of it," she sipped her water, "Plus, it forged a weird friendship between Dick and I. We hung out a lot after college at first, Cassidy was our bond in some ass backwards sort of way."

Veronica listened to her carefully, realizing her head was foggy and her body felt weak. Everything seemed to be floating. Yup, she was drunk.

"His dad appealed a lot and tried to reach out to Dick for help, I was really the only one left in Neptune. He came to my house a few times, we grabbed lunch a lot. Then it sort of teetered out, dropped to coffee once a week, then once every two weeks, then texts only, then nothing. I don't really know what made him walk away," Mac knew exactly what had made Dick walk away. It was the same thing that made her walk away and start restricting the time they spent together.

It was probably six months after they had started hanging out after college, she was freshly twenty-one and Dick was, well, Dick. He took her out for drinks to celebrate her job out of state, something that had become pretty normal. In the cab home, she remembers talking about how much she would miss him, how weird it would be not being able to talk to him about her day. Suddenly, he had tried to kiss her and she had freaked out probably more than was necessary. It wasn't that Mac hadn't wanted him to, she just wasn't prepared for it. Somewhere inside her it was incredibly weird to be kissing her dead ex boyfriend's brother, too, so that didn't help. It was just the perfect storm of awful. After a month, they had stopped speaking, she had left Neptune, and didn't come back until four years later.

Veronica made a pouty face, "That's sucky. Boys are so sucky, why can't they just do what we want them to do when we want them to do it."

Mac laughed, "I'm not sure. But I _am_ sure you've had enough liquid therapy," she got to her feet and stood there for Veronica to brace herself on her shoulders, "Come on, I'll drive you home."

"But you've been drinking those seven up things!" Veronica protested.

"Just one almost an hour ago, I've been drinking water."

"You tricky, tricky son of a bitch." Veronica waggled an accusing finger at Mac.

Mac pulled up to Dick and Logan's, letting Veronica stay asleep - passed out, really - in the passenger seat. She walked up and knocked on the door. Dick opened it and immediately felt his cheeks grow hot, "Oh, hey."

"Hey," she leaned in and looked for Logan. He was sitting at the counter, a number of bottles in front of him, "Oh, perfect," Mac grimaced.

"What? Is Veronica ok?" Logan scrambled to his feet too eagerly.

"Yeah. I just wanted to return something I found downtown. I think it belongs to you," Mac gestured to her car where Veronica's head rested against the window.

Logan walked outside slowly and opened the passenger door, crouching to wake Veronica up gently. She mumbled something and he rested his forehead against hers, Veronica's arms snaked around Logan's neck and he slid his hands under her to lift her out of the car. Her head lolled against his neck when he carried her inside, nodding thankfully at Mac.

"Awesome. Dude gets in a fight, she goes and drinks, he's stoked she comes home. What kind of world do we live in anymore?" Dick said.

"Youths," Mac folded her arms and shook her head accusingly.

"You want to come in for a beer?" Truthfully Dick had already put down three and was feeling particularly courageous.

"Sure."

They stood at the counter side by side and stared out the huge back wall at the ocean under the half moon. Mac cracked open a second, feeling deserving after all of this.

"Dick," she said between sips, "What happened to us? I thought we were friends and then we fucked it all up."

"I'm pretty good at that, now that you mention it," she knew he was being suggestive and ignored it, "I don't know. I know we hung out for a while, you left, I didn't hear from you, so I figured we were done with each other. You went back to being some weirdo kid from high school."

"Did I?" Mac looked over at him curiously.

"Well, yeah," Dick didn't catch on immediately, he cleared his throat when he did and didn't comment on it.

"Hm," she sipped her drink and stared straight ahead. Dick did the same.

In Logan's room, he placed Veronica gently on the bed and pulled the sheets up over her. The windows were open and carried a soft breeze through the room, cool enough to turn off all the air conditioning. He sat upright next to her, running his hand over her hair and her cheek softly, "You're so stupid sometimes and I wish you knew that." He knew she was out, but he spoke anyway, "There is no place in the world too far for me to move for you. If you asked me to go to Nepal I would run to the airport right now."

Logan sighed and put his arm around her, she sighed in her sleep and threw an arm over his chest. Her head buried itself in his side and she mumbled in her sleep. Logan made an inquisitive noise and she repeated herself, "I'd say yes."

He didn't know what she was dreaming about.

Veronica wished she could tell him in the morning that she slept dreamlessly, calmly, peacefully. That would be a lie. Thought she didn't wake up screaming, she still fought nightmares and shadows in her dreams. This time it was different, she wasn't gripped by panic or terror, not immediately.

Veronica was in the city again, walking slowly through buildings that shimmered like heat off asphalt, everything was still tinged with that reddish hue it always was in these nightmares. Suddenly, a girl appeared in front of her. She looked familiar, but younger than Veronica could place. A long while nightgown covered her thin, pale frame. The girl turned and looked at Veronica, her eyes wide and terrified.

Her hand lifted and she pointed down a dark alleyway, shrouded in shadows, "He's coming, you know."

Veronica tilted her head, curious, "Who's coming?"

"The man with the snowflakes." her voice was small, it echoed all around Veronica.

She disappeared as swiftly as she had come, but her voice echoed still, "Run, run, run!" she whispered harshly. So Veronica ran. She ran as hard as she could in every direction all at once, but it was no use. It was never any use. A gunshot rang out in her head and she saw a shadow fall forwards towards her. It was Josh, dead, pale, blood gushing in rivers from the wound in his back. He fell right into Veronica.

She gasped and woke herself up, alone in the bed. The house smelled of coffee and fatty breakfast food, just what she needed to quell this terrible headache. Veronica shuffled out into the kitchen and moaned loudly so Logan knew she was there.

He turned away from the stove, spatula in hand, and smiled at her, "Good morning, sunshine bear."

She sat down heavily at the breakfast bar and eyed him viciously, "I want to die. Drinking when I was nineteen is _not_ the same as when I am twenty-six."

He laughed and put a cup of coffee in front of her, a large plate of eggs, toast, and the fattiest bacon he could find at the supermarket, "You know it's almost noon, right?"

She grunted in affirmation, picking up a piece of bacon and chewing on it. A slow smile spread across her face, "I like it this way."

"I know," Logan smiled back.

In that moment they both felt it, like a sigh between the two of them. They would be okay, all of this would be okay. Both of them just needed to hold on long enough for things to find a way to work themselves out.

It was evening when Veronica came flying down the stairs of the apartment building, half throwing herself into Logan's arms. He held her for a second before setting her down, "Are you excited?"

"I'm always excited. A real date, you lucky dog, you." Veronica punched him playfully in the arm before they got into the car.

She seemed nervous as they sat down at the rather upscale restaurant, someone even laid her napkin on her lap for her. This was something they agreed they needed to do, they needed to actually date. It had been long enough with this ambiguous nebula they had become, Logan had asked Veronica on an actual date.

In her periphery, Veronica could see someone watching the, but she couldn't make out specifically who. When she turned her head, they were gone. She frowned for a second, before returning to lighthearted conversation gossipping about friends and people whom Veronica had no contact with anymore.

It was just after they had finish eating, nursing glasses of wine and pending dessert, when it happened. Logan excused himself to go to the bathroom. Someone walked up and stood beside Veronica, staring down at her. She looked up into a very familiar, formerly scary face.

Liam Fitzpatrick loomed over her, smiling wolfishly, "Veronica Mars. It's been a long time, hasn't it?"

She was speechless, just staring up at him in disbelief.

"I'm not here for you, don't worry. I'm here for your little bitch friend. I've got a message for her," Liam leaned in close to Veronica's face, "Tell her I'm coming for her. I'm coming and I'm not far behind."

He left, Veronica sat in her chair white with alarm and fear. Logan sat back down slowly and eyed her, "What, are they out of the mousse?"

She brought herself back down to earth and looked up at Logan slowly, "Liam Fitzpatrick is after Piper."

Logan's face hardened and he waved the waiter over, demanding a check, "Call her. Now."

They hurried to the car and Veronica pulled her phone out of her purse, Piper's phone was still off. She tried again, still voicemail. Training started to take over and Veronica refused to panic. She sat in the car and directed Logan to the Neptune Grand, she called ahead and alerted the manager of a possible hostage situation. Logan sped, Veronica didn't stop him.

When they got to the hotel, Veronica showed her badge to the security personnel who subtly approached her, "I made the call, you can back down, Fido."

They headed straight for the elevator, Logan pushed the button more times than was necessary, his agitation was showing. Veronica half ran out of the doors and towards Piper's room, pounding on the door as hard as she could. It opened from inside and one of the security guards stood inside.

He shook his head, "She's not here."

Veronica started to panic, she tried to suppress it, but it happened anyway. She walked into the hallway, doubled over and breathing heavily. Logan walked out with her and rubbed her back, "Relax, Veronica. I'm sure she's fine. She probably just went out."

"And left her phone off? I _highly_ doubt that." Veronica snapped, she was edgy.

The door to another room opened and they both looked up, Piper crept forwards like she was sneaking out of Piz's room. She stopped when she saw them in the hallway and straightened up, "Oh. I thought I heard you shouting for me. What's-"

Veronica grabbed Piper and hugged her, "Oh my god I thought you were dead!"

"Uh, no. I'm here. It's all good. What's going on? Why is there a strange man in my room? A question I find myself asking a lot sometimes," Piper smiled cheekily at Veronica and looked back up at Logan, "But seriously what's going on?"

Logan told her plainly, "You might be in trouble."

Piper listened to him recount what Veronica had said and frowned, whispering under her breath, "The rabbit hole is coming my way, it seems."


	17. Dashes

**Author's Note:**Things pick up :o I'm happy with them picking up about now. I'm still adding fluffy stuff because what would Veronica Mars fanfiction be without fluff? Plus I spent the day listening to Flogging Molly at work, so I was in an Irish crime mood.

**Chapter 17: Dashes**

The following morning, Wallace knocked on the door rapidly until Piz opened it, pushing inside and walking quickly to Veronica's post on the couch. He placed a hand on her shoulder, his face wrought with concern, "What's going on? What happened?"

Piz sighed, "Just some Irish drug lord threatening Piper's life, you know, the usual."

"Sounds like a typical day for Veronica Mars," Wallace smiled down at her, despite her serious frown.

"This isn't a joke. This is a big time guy under ATF and DEA watch for years verbally confirming he plans to take action against an FBI Agent. This isn't something any force takes lightly, FBI or Neptune PD. Piper, we have to go to the cops," In her heart, Veronica knew it wouldn't do any good. The police force had continued its standard of not helping until the very last minute, that was clear enough to everyone. Even when she said it her words felt empty.

Piper folded her arms and leaned against the closed doors to her bedroom, "Seriously, it's not going to do any good. Remember, we're not even supposed to be handling cases during our hiatus. The only thing the Bureau will do for us is recall us to New York and let your friends suffer for what I did."

The thing Piper couldn't get her hands on was how Liam had known it was her, or what she was even doing. She had been careful and left no trail, not even online. She had always used third parties and never directly done her own research. The only thing Piper could decide was that the tail she had seen after leaving Harvy's wasn't the first, nor was it the actual tail. They had faked Danny's tail to throw her off, it was the only thing had made sense. Internally, Piper kicked herself. She thought she had been safe and covert, but apparently she was just as reckless as any other new agent who thought they knew the rules of the game.

Logan watched the room, arms folded over his chest, "Well then what are we going to do?"

His use of the word 'we' made Veronica smile, Logan was willing to help someone she cared about without even being asked, "The way I see it, we have two choices: keep pushing the case and get Liam before he gets Piper, or tell the authorities and let them deal with it in a way that ends up with you guys powerless to do anything and Piper and I fired."

"Then I guess our choice is made for us," Logan sat next to Veronica and leaned forwards, hands clasped, looking at Piper's wall of information, "What do we need to do to speed your case along?"

Piper smiled at him appreciatively, Wallace sat down next to Logan, "If Veronica says she needs my help, I made a promise a long time ago to help. You direct, tell me what to do." Veronica hadn't said to help, but her entire demeanor implied it.

Piz was the only one who stood in the alcove, watching critically, arms crossed. Piper made eye contact with him, intending to be defiant, but she could only muster guilt at the look of worry in his face. He wasn't as excited to help as everyone else had been, "There has to be a third option here. Throw ourselves into the belly of the beast, or ask incompetent cops to do incompetent things? I refuse to believe this is the only choice we have."

"Our other choice is run. All of us, anyone I've had contact with. Liam doesn't know who is and is not important to me," something about the way Piper said it made Veronica think she was singling Piz out, but she dismissed the notion, "His actions will be indiscriminate. It's how these guys work."

Piz had almost forgotten this was Piper and Veronica's area of expertise. Reluctantly, he sat on the far side of the couch. He wouldn't get involved in this without expecting something from her, Piper could feel that much emanating from him.

She looked over at the photos and the report information and was quiet for a while, finally pulling one photo down and holding it up, "I think one of these kids would be our best bet in being sloppy. If we get photos of the transaction and then tail the kid, I think we have a better chance of using one of these guys to prove the connection. The others I need information on for where they deal on campus and to who, I mostly just need proof they deal. The hard part comes from a sample to compare what's in the package with what these kids are giving out," she put the photo on the table and pulled down another, one of Molly Fitzpatrick, "I need as much information on her as I can get, I need to know everything about that bar, blueprints if you can find them, but I really want to know about all the trucks that go in and out of it."

Piz lifted his hand to speak and she stared at him, "Why does it say Frank under that photo? That's Liam, I'd know his terrible taste in facial hair anywhere."

Piper stared at the picture, "That's something else I'm not able to answer. I didn't really put a lot of thought into it, I figured it was just a cover name he gave kids."

"I think you should try looking at him. Get as much as you can on Liam himself."

Piper hadn't considered that avenue before, but Piz was right, "I'll handle that part."

"We will," he said, "I can at least help you with that."

Veronica agreed to take Logan with her and stay far away from the Styx before they made any movement towards the bar, they agreed she wouldn't go anywhere near that part of the case for a few days. Veronica had insisted on working surveillance, insisted hard enough that Piper found fighting her impossible. The sudden aggressiveness with which she had started to pummel the work surprised Logan, this kind of passion wasn't just for a job she loved anymore. Liam had evidently made it personal when he approached Veronica.

"And you are completely sure it was him?" he asked when they were driving home.

"Absolutely. He wore a suit, he had trimmed his hair, but it was definitely him," Veronica wouldn't tell Logan, but Liam had struck a chord in her that made everything vibrate with anger. The case had been fun while they were just playing at it, just doing fun research and reconnaissance, but now it had become something bigger.

Wallace had agreed to hit the courthouse and get all the information he could on The River Styx including deeds and blueprints shortly before he left. That left Piz and Piper alone in Piper's room. He closed the door behind Wallace and shoved his hands into his pockets, walking up to her slowly.

"You're really going to do this. You're actually going to try and take down this guy," he wasn't asking, more like making an observation.

For some reason, Piper felt ashamed. She tried to fight it, to hold her head up defiantly, "I don't have a choice."

He nodded and reached up to grab his car keys off the counter, "Let's hit up the library then. If documents on someone are going to be anywhere, it'll be the Neptune Library."

She drove slowly, carefully, hyper aware of every car behind them. Piper took confusing routes then started driving an entirely different direction. Piz looked over at her curiously, "Why are we heading inland?"

"Because we're being followed again," Piper swore under her breath and engaged the Bluetooth system.

"Please tell me you're not dead." Veronica answered.

"Getting close. Look, we're being followed around, we can't get out to the library and look up anything. Can you handle it?"

"I'll figure it out, go back to the hotel and don't go back to your own room." Veronica hung up.

Piper sighed and drove back to the hotel, defeated by this little game Liam had started.

Veronica looked up at Logan, worried, "They've got a car right up their tailpipe. She can't leave the hotel," 'What are you even doing, Liam. Planning to burn the Grand to the ground? A little obvious, don't you think?' Veronica thought.

"Mac lives by that part of town, ask her if she can handle looking up information on him." Logan offered.

Veronica nodded and dialed out to her, "Hey, Mac. I have a favor to ask you."

"Of course you do, Veronica." Mac was enjoying this Veronica who had become a blast from the past all of a sudden, she must be feeling better.

Veronica recounted what had been going on and asked her again to go take care of the research on Liam Fitzpatrick, "But please, please, whatever you do don't go alone."

"Uh, I don't have much of a choice. I live alone and my only body guard is a seventeen year old who can't take his headphones out long enough to say the Pledge of Allegiance."

"Mac, I can't let you go alone. We'll figure something out, Logan can go with you." Veronica looked at him and he nodded his consent.

Dick stood behind Veronica, tossing trail mix into his mouth, when he overheard, "Uh, I can go with her."

Veronica and Logan looked at Dick and exchanged a glance, "Are you sure?" Veronica asked.

He shrugged, "Sure. It's just a library, right? This dude doesn't even know me." Dick put down the bag and grabbed a jacket from the closet, "Tell her I'll pick her up in ten." And he was gone, out the door, without hesitating.

"So, uh, Dick is going to go get you. He agreed to be your backup," Veronica hung up with Mac and sighed, resting her head in her hands.

Logan rubbed her back slowly, "Are you going to survive?"

"I'm not stressed," she mumbled from under her hands, "I just didn't expect this to be how I spent the last half of my vacation." Veronica reached out and pulled him to her, resting her head on his chest and letting him run his fingers through her hair.

"We can back out any time. Piper won't hate you," Logan offered.

"It's not about if she will hate me or not, it's about if I will hate myself."

Mac waved when she saw headlights pulling up to the front of her condo, Dick waved back. She opened the door and climbed in, "So what is it we're supposed to do?"

"I guess Ronnie just wants the deets on that Liam Fitzpatrick guy," Dick shifted the car in gear without looking at her and headed towards the library.

Mac's heart pounded, it was exhilarating being involved like this, or was it something else? They drove in silence to the big Greek-inspired building situated outside the Country Club. Mac almost fell out of the car, like she was having trouble breathing the air in the Audi. Dick reached out and grabbed her elbow, assuming she tripped.

Mac looked at him and plucked her elbow from his hand gingerly, "I'm fine, just got up too fast."

"Okay. Please don't pass out right now, I can't get into the computer without you," that much was true, Dick admitted.

They walked inside and found an open terminal, Mac punched in some codes and started reading old papers, birth certificates, deeds, driver's licenses. Dick leaned down and watched over her shoulder, she was painfully aware of his head right over her and how close he was. It was like static shock was forming between them, almost painful in her skin. Mac shook her head and ignored it, focusing more intensely on the work in front of her.

"So what are we looking at," Dick asked after a while, "This literally means nothing to me right now."

She let out a small, whispered laugh, "It's nothing serious, just boring public knowledge. The fun part comes when we get the private stuff," Mac smiled predatorially at the monitor and started entering commands. She pulled up sealed files, social security files, as much concealed information on Liam Fitzpatrick as her fingers could enter.

Dick was marginally impressed, he had no idea Mac's skills stretched to this length. He realized he wasn't watching the screen anymore, he was watching Mac "This is pretty MacGuyver."

"I think you mean Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius," Mac looked up at him, noting his confusion, "It was a cartoon. I watched it with my brother."

"Oh. I thought it was a breakfast cereal." Dick shrugged.

Mac shook her head and paused, looking up at him again, "You really never heard of Jimmy Neutron? Did you stop watching cartoons so early in life?"

"I got concerned with things like going outside and making friends," Dick nodded affirmatively and smiled down at her to let her know he was teasing her.

She stared up at him for a moment, no longer alarmed by their closeness, and sighed, "You're such an uncultured swine."

"I didn't realize cartoons qualified as 'culture'. I thought that term was reserved for Brazilian models and gourmet food," Dick made a face at her.

Mac was about to say something, but she forgot what it was, instead she became focused on him. She looked over his whole face, taking in every line and every mark, her eyes locked on his. Suddenly she saw forever, an ocean of possibility, sunny skies and warm beaches, color and sound swirling together. She looked into Dick's face and saw life. Not the kind of life you see when you look into a fish tank or a bacterial colony, but the kind of life you only see in someone who doesn't believe in letting the world drag them down into its darkest depths. She couldn't help herself, she put her hands on his cheeks and kissed him. Mac kissed him with the fervor he had tried to use on her so many years ago, she kissed him to make him see color, to make him see sound. She just kissed him, raw and real.

Dick didn't stop her, he kissed her back, and he saw it all, everything she had wanted him to take from her, he saw.

Piper stared at her laptop on the coffee table, she couldn't be distracted by whatever Piz had turned on. It wasn't weird, sitting so close to him on the couch or letting him draw an arm over her shoulders. She couldn't focus on it though, she kept staring at the laptop. Everything she would ever need to know was in the FBI database, she could pull every inch of Liam's life from that computer. If she did, Rodney would know. He would know Piper had worked on something, would know she had used unauthorized FBI resources.

Piper wasn't sure she wanted to risk that much yet, so she forced herself to look away, forced herself to come back to the moment and just exist on that couch with Piz. She sighed heavily and he looked over at her, "Stop thinking about it."

She made a face at him, "So much easier said than done."

They sat quietly, watching the screen, waiting for someone's phone to ring with something productive. Piper didn't enjoy sitting caged in a hotel room while her case unfolded around her. Piz sensed her tenseness, pulling his arm tighter around her and moving her closer to him. He stared down at her for a moment, "Stop it."

"I can't just sit here while everyone else does something meaningful," to Piper's astonishment, Piz kissed her. Gently, casually, like he had been doing it his whole life. He didn't say anything else, just that, and turned his attention back to the television.

It seemed to push Piper back a little, made her focus on something other than an Irish mob threat. The phone rang, twice, but both times it was hotel security checking in on her. She assured them she was still alive, then hung up and rolled her eyes at Piz.

Veronica's phone rang and she jumped, having been too focused on the photograph of the kids in the school's quad area. She answered it, "Hey dad."

"You left me a message demanding I return your phone call." Keith said, shrugging on his jacket.

"Yeah, I did. So I was wondering if you knew anything about The River Styx before Liam Fitzpatrick came to town? We're trying to get some reconnaissance work for Piper done while she's holed up in Piz's hotel room."

"In Piz's room?" Keith repeated her words, "And you're not bothered by that?"

"No, should I be?"

He shrugged, "I guess not. I always liked Piz, he was a stand-up guy. Shame it didn't work out with him," Veronica knew it was a stab at Logan in some way, "What do you need from me, demanding daughter?"

"Can you get that information for us? Like when he came to town? Mac and Dick are at the library working on it, but I wanted to get it faster. They left like three hours ago and haven't called or anything." Veronica was slightly annoyed with that little fact, she had expected Mac to at least call her with something by now, even if it was small.

"I'll see what I can find."

"Thank you, doting father."

Keith shrugged his jacket back off and sat down at his computer, clicking through the database. Veronica could have done this just as easily, but he had to admit he was curious the direction Piper was going. Pinning down the dragon itself rather than going after its treasure? That was different.

It took him around an hour to form a plan of action about how to get the information to Piper, Keith decided it was best to be direct. After all, Veronica had described her as a very direct girl and he could respect that.

"Hello?" Piper answered, not anticipating a call from him.

"Piper. It's Keith Mars."

"I know. In twenty-first century, we have caller ID on all out phones." She quipped.

"Look, I need to tell you something. Please don't ask me to elaborate, you just need to trust me," it was the sudden urgency in Keith's voice that made Piper keep listening, "You need to drop this case. You need to destroy what you have on the Fitzpatricks and just let it go."

She had not been anticipating that either, her voice grew combative, "I can't do that, Keith. You know that I can't do that. What did you find?"

"Just trust me, this isn't a case you want to get involved with and you need to let it stay where it is. Eventually, Liam Fitzpatrick will get his comeuppance , but it can't come from you. Please drop it," Keith knew already she wouldn't, but he would sleep easier if he tried to make her.

"Thanks, I'll keep that in the pot of possibilities." She was dripping with venom now.

"Piper, I'm scared for you and for Veronica and for everyone you have helping you. For their sakes, drop this whole thing." He insisted.

"Goodbye, Keith. Thank you for your insight." She hung up, fuming.

Veronica hung up with Keith and looked at Logan hopefully, "My dad is going to research what he can. That's something, right?"

"Sure," Logan kissed her softly. They walked outside onto the back patio and sat down on the sand at its edge.

Both of them were quiet, enjoying the heat of the day on their skin for a while. Logan was staring at his feet, lost in his own mind, "Can we talk about it yet?"

She knew what 'it' was and she didn't want to, but Veronica wasn't so sure she would ever want to, "What else can we talk about?"

"Why are you so against me coming back to New York with you?"

She sighed heavily, "Because you can't leave your whole life here and have only me, the world doesn't work that way, Logan. If you leave Neptune, it has to be for more than just me."

He frowned sadly, "What about you coming here? Will you even put that on the table?"

She shook her head, "I don't think I can. I have a life in New York, too."

Logan looked up at the ocean and felt Veronica lean heavily against his shoulder, "Then what do we do? About us, I mean?"

She shrugged, "What we can to make it work. I'm not afraid of long distance if you're not," she looked up at him, "Just…not immediately. I need a few weeks when I get back to sort things out."

That wasn't contenting Logan, it was written all over his face, but he pushed away the urge to fight with her on it. This same conversation seemed to run itself in circles no matter what he did to try and stop it. She seemed dead set on being apart and then reluctantly trying to make it work where Logan was ready to start his whole life over for her. It frustrated him, she wasn't clear on what she wanted.

Veronica could sense it, "Please don't. Can we wait until all this blows over before we make any decisions?"

"Do you promise?"

Veronica nodded, "I promise."

Logan kissed her and put an arm around her, "Fine."

Liam called the man in the car camped outside the Neptune Grand, a short conversation, but one in which the man was urged to leave his post and return to the bar. It had been enough, it would be a good message. If this little girl didn't back off, he would make it clear he was willing to do more than just follow her around. Perhaps Miss Mars needed a visit from his boys to convince Miss Cowell to back away from everything, perhaps that pretty young man following her around needed to lose the use of a kneecap. Either way, Liam would make himself known to her, Piper Cowell wasn't as smart as she thought she was. If he had been smart, she would have listened to Keith when he told her to back off.

Liam tipped the brim of a baseball cap to Keith and the men in the room took their arms off his wrists, shouldering their baseball bats while they walked out. Liam stepped back into Keith's office, "I thank you for being so obliging, Sheriff Mars. I trust this is the last visit I'll ever have to make about this?"

Keith sat in his chair, unharmed for the most part, shaking, "Get out of my office. If you come back, I won't stop her."

"The way it seems to be going, it might have to be me who gets her to disappear." Liam winked.

Keith stared down at his phone, not knowing exactly who to call anymore.


	18. The A Team

**Author's Note: **I made the choice to push this out a little farther, I'm aiming for 22/23 chapters. Everything is so close to wrapping up! 4 chapters left (at least)!

**Chapter 18: The A Team**

Piper was awake before the gray light of dawn spread over the coast, sitting on the couch staring at her laptop. She had rolled the possibility of using it around in her head a hundred times now, weighing the ramifications of using work systems unethically against her moral conviction. It never came up clear, never explicitly one way or the other in her mind. The fact was that Piper wasn't sure if it was worth the risk to use the database or to not use the database, either way something personal to her was threatened.

She was snapped out of it by Piz walking out of the bedroom sleepily, hugging a bathrobe around himself. He yawned deeply and blinked at her, "Did you sleep ok?"

Piper hadn't slept in the bedroom with him, she hadn't really touched him at all since they had slept together. She knew it had gotten under Piz's skin, but it's how she was with these things. Piper didn't handle relationships very well, she wasn't like Veronica and didn't do well answering to a boyfriend. From Piper's understanding, Veronica hadn't always been like that, but things had changed after college. Veronica had a good, solid relationship with Josh where Piper hooked up a few times with the same guy and then inevitably shoved him out the door when he wanted to be serious. She just didn't do this kind of thing. Truthfully, she was terrified of falling in love.

"Love makes you weak, it makes you careless," she recalled telling Veronica, "It makes you stupid and distracted. I can't afford those things in this line of work."

Veronica had shrugged, "I guess it's not like that for me with Josh, he wants me to be completely focused and in the moment. I don't think about him before I bust down a few doors, I just do it."

Piper didn't understand it and didn't intend to try. She hadn't had a solid boyfriend since her sophomore year at Berkeley and liked her solo life. Now, though, it seemed to be so lonely to look at. Piper had spent a lot of nights by herself watching Netflix while Josh and Veronica took a weekend away, a lot of solo lunches in the office while they were grabbing something together, a lot of takeout dinner on the couch. It definitely positioned work at the center of her world, but lately she had found her head out of the office looking at the world in front of her and going back to the way she had been just seemed a little sad.

Nevertheless, Piper found herself pushing Piz away from her just like she always did. It was a habit, but he wasn't exactly someone who apparently took habit well. She offered him a tired smile, "Not really. I feel like I didn't sleep at all," she had, just fitfully.

Piz nodded and stood there, watching her, "I hear sleeping on couches causes back problems."

"You heard that?" Piper said coyly.

"Yeah, on one of the infomercials I stayed up until three watching." This was Piz's gentle way of telling her he knew she had hardly slept at all.

"I should be more careful then."

"You should sleep in a bed," and there was the other thing he had wanted to tell her, "Really."

She nodded, "Probably,"

Piz sat down on the couch next to her and didn't say anything else, he just leaned back and let her mull her thoughts over again. She felt guilty, like she was hurting someone she shouldn't be hurting. She knew she was being hurtful, but it didn't feel like something she could stop. His hand moved up and down her back gently, Piper pushed against his hand and let herself enjoy human contact for a while.

Veronica sat at the counter watching Keith preparing lunch for himself, suspicious of him. He seemed jumpy, he definitely was acting like he did when he was hiding something from her. Veronica called him out on it, "Is something going on with you I should know about?"

Keith looked at her, startled, "What? No. Don't worry, everything's fine, honey." He picked up his briefcase and kissed the top of her head goodbye.

Keith sat in his car for a few minutes before actually starting it up and driving to work. He was trying to shake the agitation he had been feeling, something rattling his bones since the other day when Liam had walked into his office. They had held him to his chair and made him call Piper, using threats against his daughter as 'motivation' of sorts. Liam made it abundantly clear he could do whatever he wished in that moment before leaving, reminded him that he may be small-scale on the FBI watch list, but in Neptune he was a big fish.

It had been harrowing in a way, had made Piper's case seem more real than it had in the recent past. Keith rubbed his eyes with one hand fired up the car, driving towards the office.

Veronica stared into her coffee and finished it off, she was split between wanting to call Logan and wanting to call Mac. Mac had finally called her the other night and told her she had everything they wanted, but hadn't been able to get around to the Grand until this afternoon. When Veronica asked what took her so long, Mac had dodged the question claiming she got sidetracked.

In reality, Mac had spent a good deal of time making out with Dick in the Audi. He had offered to drive them to the Grand, to get a room. She had been tempted, so very tempted, but it seemed like more than she could handle. Having admitted how she felt without using any language at all had taken a lot out of her, Mac was still gun shy about relationships in general.

Veronica's mind was made up for her, Logan knocked gently on the door. He had seen her silhouette sitting at the counter. She got up and let him in. Logan met her with full force, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her. He lifted her up and started to walk down the hallway with her to her bedroom, Veronica squirmed and laughed against him.

She was helpless, powerless against the force he was to her. It took only moments for Veronica to get lost in Logan's pull, forget where she was. The world melted away around her, leaving only the two of them. Only Veronica and Logan existed in this bubble of passion, forged in a cruel and complicated universe, giving them a haven of peace. These stolen hours of the world, just the two of them, beaded in sweat and lost in a tangle of clothes, were precious. Everything locked away laid itself bare before the two of them, everything became unknotted and familiar again.

Logan sighed and lay with his arm around Veronica, she was resting on his bare chest smiling against her fingers. They didn't speak, he just smiled at her and she broke into laughter, the kind of raw laughter that only comes with having seen someone truly naked before.

Finally, they rolled into the shower and into clothing again. Veronica sighed contentedly when Logan bent to kiss her neck, Veronica picking up her phone.

She frowned, "It's noon."

"So?"

"We have to meet Mac and Piper at the Grand at one."

"It's really good that this whole town is completely navigable in fifteen minutes then," he hoisted himself onto the seat next to her.

Veronica punched him playfully in the arm. She had wasted half the day, but it never felt like wasting it lately. No hour with Logan felt like killing time or squandering the world away. She found this thought tinged with sadness at the impending end of her stay in Neptune, Veronica realized she was reluctant to leave.

Mac sat in the lobby waiting for Veronica, pulling a book from her purse and letting herself enjoy it for a few minutes. It had been a while since Mac was able to bury herself in a novel. Her phone buzzed and she picked it up, Dicks name popped on the screen.

Mac slid her finger across it and answered, "What's up?"

"Go out with me."

"What?" she was startled, that was not what she expected.

"Mac, I don't want to fall into this thing Logan and Veronica have fallen into. I don't want to stay holed up inside or take a break to go to the beach, I don't want you to practically live with me. I want to go old school on you, I want to take you out on a real date."

"Dick Casablancas? Date? I'm sorry, did the universe just collapse in on itself like a dying star?" Mac was a little amused by the situation.

"If feeling like that makes you okay with going out to dinner with me then yes, it did whatever it was you just said," Dick wasn't going to take no for an answer, he wasn't someone who took no very well.

Mac thought about it, she was actually excited by this phone call. Butterflies danced in her chest and she found herself laughing, "Uh, sure. I mean, why not."

"Awesome. You make pity date sound so much better than everyone else claims." Dick was teasing her.

She sighed heavily, "Dick, I would love to go on a real date with you. Better?"

"Much." He hung up without telling her when or where, but neither of them really cared.

Mac was still staring at nothing, a smile lingering on her lips, when Veronica and Logan walked up to her. Veronica jerked her thumb at the elevator, "Let's get a move on."

They all crowded in Piz's room on the couch, Wallace showed up later than everyone else, but his hands were full of papers from the courthouse. Piper sat on the floor, cross legged in front of the coffee table. Piz came out of his bedroom, dressed finally, and sat so close next to her his knee was resting against Piper's. She tried to ignore it, "Wallace, you brought what appears to be an unread John Steinbeck novel with you. Go first."

Wallace nodded and put the stack on the table, "All right. Well, there isn't much to say. I mean, the bar itself is a legitimate business. Molly appears to have been in a legal battle against Liam for the title after their grandfather died."

"Really?" Piper leaned over the coffee table and looked at the documents.

"Yeah, Grandfather Fitzpatrick left the bar to Molly in his will, but Liam challenged her saying it was his because he was older. It was a stupid case, it didn't hold up and Liam and Molly settled out of court."

"Probably under the agreement that he could use part of the bar for his illegitimate business," Piper frowned.

Wallace nodded, "I'm thinking the same thing. Delivery schedules only happen at the front of the place, not the back. The back is probably being used for something shady," he pushed the schedule of deliveries to Piper.

She glanced up at Veronica, "How did stalking some teens go?"

"Now, when you put it like that it sounds really creepy," Veronica pulled photographs out of her purse and put them on the table, "Anyway, the kids weren't a ton of help. Following them really didn't do much for us, they don't open the boxes until they go inside."

Piper nodded again and frowned, "Well, I guess we can scratch that avenue off the list." She placed her hands on the ground and leaned on them a little. Fingers touched her hand softly, Piz's, and she found herself turning up her palm so he could hold her hand under the table, out of sight of everyone. Something had told them both to keep whatever it was that had happened between them very quiet, it was an unspoken agreement. Piper appreciated that about Piz, he never needed to be told what to do.

Mac started speaking before Piper addressed her, she hadn't need to be told it was her turn. Papers emerged from her bag, documents, deeds, licenses, social security information, residence history, "I found this, unfortunately nothing from before two thousand and one. It's like this guy never officially existed until then. I even chased down his social and it isn't any older than that, either."

That struck Piper as odd for a moment, but she dismissed it. Shady guys involved in shady dealings usually didn't have matching Social Security numbers to their names.

"I also tried to track his name, parentage, all that stuff. I found nothing, which I thought was really weird. It's like this guy was just dropped on the face of the planet with no past, he's always been grown-up Liam Fitzpatrick," Mac pushed a particular paper in front of her, "The other thing I found interesting is the Fitzpatricks who fathered Molly didn't record any second child on their tax reports. Liam's birth certificate is fake, the hospital it claims he was born at doesn't exist."

Piper looked up at Mac, "This is awesome, thank you. I can't get into my own databanks, so thank you."

"No problem. I actually have to get a move on, I have to get ready for something tonight," Mac stood up, Piper felt the heat of Piz's hand disappear as he pulled away from her.

Logan got to his feet and smoothed out Veronica's hair, "I've got to go, too, actually. I promised Dick we'd go surfing and he said he has a thing late and if we want to hit it it's got to be now."

Veronica smiled up at him and nodded, "Okay. Wallace can drive me home, right Wallace?"

Wallace put his hands up, "Like I have a choice when Veronica asks me to do something. That's adorable."

Piper closed the door behind everyone, slumping against it when she turned back around. Piz walked up to her slowly, laying a hand on her cheek gently. He didn't kiss her, just looked at her, "I'll let you pour over this stuff. I'm sure I can find something to do for an hour."

Piper wanted to tell him to stay, to look at it all with her, but she couldn't open her mouth and say the words. Instead, she let him move past her and leave the room. She kicked herself and shook her head violently, trying to shake loose the parts of the last few days that were distracting her. Piper had agreed with herself to stop letting herself fall into that chasm and get stuck in Neptune or on someone she would do better without.

Dick was agitated and short when Logan met him on the sand, like he was anticipating something, "Dude, you took like half an hour."

"Relax, man," Logan made a face at him, "What's the rush? The ocean will still be here in an hour."

"I told you, I've got a thing tonight." Dick jogged slowly towards the water and Logan followed.

"I'm sure your hand will forgive you for being a little late to dinner," Logan was annoyed at the rushing around. Surfing was supposed to be relaxing, Dick was not relaxed.

"Elsa? Elsa never forgets," Dick spread his right hand out and looked at Logan seriously.

They laughed and Logan decided to let it go, Dick was allowed to rush him around every so often. It only happened once every five years that Dick got antsy like this.

Wallace started the Sentra and backed out of his space, glancing at Veronica, "She'll be fine, the Piper I've been hanging out with seems capable." Wallace had met Piper before when he visited Veronica, he knew her enough to know she was independent that way.

"I know she will be, but this whole thing is making me worried." Veronica sighed and leaned against the window, "It shouldn't, I know that."

"How are you dealing with the Josh thing?" Wallace asked tentatively, like he was walking on eggshells.

She shrugged, "Same old. Nightmares, trouble being alone. Textbook anxiety case right here," she jerked a thumb at herself.

"I have faith in you to recover fully, Miss Mars," Wallace smiled. The screen on the dashboard chimed and Jackie's photo popped up on the wireless system.

The thing about that was that it was Jackie's photo, but above it read 'Wife' and Veronica stared at it intently. Wallace, suddenly uneasy, answered the call, "You've reached Wallace with Veronica in the car."

"Oh!" she said through the speakers, "Hey Veronica. Do you want me to call you back later?"

"That would probably be good."

"Okay then, love you."

The call ended quickly. Wallace's hands flexed against the steering wheel and he looked at Veronica, "You are just dying to ask me, aren't you?"

"_Wife_?" was all Veronica could manage to squeeze out.

He laughed and nodded, "Yeah. It's not a big deal or anything, it was just a courthouse thing."

"You got married and you didn't tell me?!" Veronica smacked him in the arm, "Courthouse or not I would have come! I didn't even know you and Jackie were talking again."

"We ran into each other in New York the last time I was there. I got coffee in her diner, we met up after her shift, things just went down." Wallace couldn't contain his smile, his look of joy. It made Veronica feel like she was seeing something secret, something that was all Wallace's, and she treasured the moment he let her feel that way.

"I can't believe you didn't tell me," she crossed her arms, "How long ago?"

"Almost a year," he was sheepish.

"_Almost a year?_" Veronica repeated, aghast, "I think you might be in the running for Worst Friend this year. Your only competition is Dick, so you'll probably lose, but the fact remains you've been nominated."

"Worth it, I'm a happy man, Veronica." Wallace reached into the ash tray and pulled out a solid gold band, sliding it onto his left ring finger, "I hid it from you so you wouldn't feel bad. It's exhausting trying to keep things from you, has anyone ever told you that?"

"I've been told that once or twice," she made a mock thoughtful face, "Or was it twenty times?"

Veronica waved at Wallace as he drove away and started walking up the driveway towards Logan and Dick's. She wasn't home alone for long, Dick barreled through the door and rushed upstairs to start the shower.

Logan watched him as he walked inside, closing the door. He shook his head at Veronica, "I don't know what this 'thing' is he's doing, but it's making me want to smother him with a pillow."

Dick came back downstairs an hour later, primed and itching to leave. He had actually dressed up, which had surprised Veronica, "This thing must be important, huh?"

Dick nodded at her, "You wouldn't know, you guys never go anywhere."

"Not true, we went out once. It just ended in flames is all," Logan sank his teeth into an apple from the fruit bowl.

Dick held up his arms and turned, "Drink it in, this is the kind of thing you get to do when you go out more than once for your entire relationship."

Veronica shook her head at him, suddenly putting something together, "Hey Dick?"

He paused from opening the door and turned to her, "Huh?"

"Is Mac your thing you have to do tonight?"

Piz stood in front of the hotel room door. It felt stupid, knocking on his own door, but he was trying to be polite. Piper opened the door, she looked white and he thought he could see a redness under her eyes someone usually only got with crying. He frowned, worried, "This can't be good. What did you find out?"

Piper looked up at him, searching his face for answers she knew he wouldn't have, nor would anyone have, "Liam is ex-FBI. That's why he's getting away with everything, that's why nobody ever touches his syndicate."

She had been sitting at the coffee table only for a little while before she had made the choice to use the FBI database. Piper flipped the laptop open, typed in her information, and started her search. Liam Fitzpatrick brought up a lot of entries, but nothing that matched Neptune. It had been a hunch, started out as a joke to herself, to put his name under a search for aliases. Normally that field had been reserved for undercover agents in the field, the only time you could find one was after their assignment had finished, they had been killed, or they had been released from the Bureau.

One match had popped up in California. Piper felt her heart drop into her stomach, everything she touched suddenly felt frozen. She clicked the result, despite the screaming in her head that told her to stay away from that file.

Everything unfolded before her, a matching photo, agent information, release information, assignment information. All of it layered itself on her desktop and she had sat there and clicked through every document with the meticulous care of an embroiderer, weaving this tapestry of lies and deception into something understandable.

_Frank Elroy_

_Alias: Liam O'Donnell_

_Stationed: Neptune, CA_

The file went on to describe the details of the case Frank had been put in charge of, a drug cartel, organized crime syndicate, and illegal arms dealer known as the Fitzpatricks, an Irish-run gang in the heart of southern California. The file detailed how he had started to become too involved, begun withholding information from his contacts in the Bureau, started to forget about the case or intentionally not warn his superiors about certain deals going down. He had officially become classified as a rogue agent when Frank changed his name officially to Liam Fitzpatrick. He had been adopted into the Fitzpatrick's inner family and dropped his identity as an FBI agent. Frank was dishonorably discharged from his post and his file was sealed, no follow-up case was assigned to take him out or take over his position. Officially, the case against the Fitzpatricks died. They had to wait until Liam was no longer in the picture to try and infiltrate the gang again, that would have taken years.

There it was, right in front of her face: the reason nobody had done anything to take down The River Styx before. Piper suddenly felt a feeling of intense abandonment. The establishment she had been hoping would have her back no longer existed. She didn't know what to do.

Piz grabbed her and pulled her into a tight hug, not really sure what that meant at this point, but being out of ideas for what to do. She clutched him tightly, Piper wanted to scream, cry, run, shout, anything other than stand here and feel as helpless as she did.

Piz pushed her back from him, "We'll figure something out. Don't think this changes anything, we're going to make it work."

There was something comforting about the way he said 'we' so many times, the feeling of complete abandon Piper had been fighting eased. She looked up at him and nodded, this vulnerability she was feeling had started to scare her a little. Piper was not a vulnerable girl, she wasn't that girl who laid herself out there and let someone else pick up her pieces. She pushed back farther and took a step away from Piz, "You're right. I shouldn't freak out, I don't know what's even going on in my head right now."

He moved to stop her, but she held up her hand. Piz immediately felt it, a surge of frustration again that raced up his throat and out into words, "Stop pushing me off like this. Stop making me feel like I did something wrong. You were there, too. I didn't sleep with myself."

She was taken aback by his tone, "I know, I'm not-"

"But you are. You're shoving me back into the place I was before you ever came over here. Frankly, I don't want to be back there and I don't think you want me to be either, so can you please just let me in? I want to help out, this is the most effective way I have found that I can be helpful." Piz stood in front of her, breathless and desperate with reaching out for her.

Piper didn't respond right away, she let herself feel everything that had been hiding in the room when he started talking. Relief washed over her, relief that he had spoken up about it rather than just letting her get away with pushing him out. Sadness at her own inability to let anyone in romantically, annoyance that he would be so forward, and comfort. She had spent much of the day realizing how lonely she was, having Piz around had stopped that loneliness in a way none of the other men who had tried to muscle into her life had. Maybe that was the difference, Piz didn't muscle his way into Piper's life, but rather he fell into it like she had fallen into his. They had slept together without agenda, without wanting something from the other except to just be close.

Piper suddenly felt like a jerk , "I'm sorry," she said softly, "You're right."

She reached her hand out and he took it, drawing her back to him and holding her against his chest, "Thank you," he whispered.

Piz hadn't expected her to resist him so hard, but he had expected her to resist. It wasn't like he had kissed her without knowing who she was, without knowing how she would react. He just had enough of Piper's tough girl exterior and wanted to know what the rest of her looked like. It was plain now, Piper let herself be transparent for a few minutes with him. He saw an image of loneliness, of isolation and workaholic activity. It made him soften his tone with her, accept her resistance a little more.

In the end, they couldn't resist one another as much as they had hoped. When they had enough and wanted to go to bed, Piz had let Piper stay on the couch again without complaint. He was still lying awake in bed when the bedroom door opened and he felt the covers pull back. Piper climbed in next to him and let him wrap an arm around her, she rested her head on his chest and sighed quietly.


	19. This Little Girl

**Author's Note: **Thank you guys for helping me catch some errors :) It's been a while since I've holed up with some nutella and a blanket and powered through the first few seasons. I planned on running them before the UNDOUBTEDLY EPIC MOVIE comes out. I also have started going back through Season 2 because yay bus crashes and Cassidy drama. Anyway, stay on top of me and call my ass out, fellow marshmallows. I like input.

**Chapter 19: This Little Girl**

Veronica sat on the patio, staring at the ocean laid out before her glittering under the light of a half-moon. Inky blackness surrounded the beach, night had long since settled in and a cool breeze shifted through her hair lifting it off her shoulders and placing it gently back down like an invisible hand. She had laid in bed for a while, listening to Logan breathing and twitching, but couldn't bring herself to drift off to sleep. She had been on edge about having more nightmares since the other night when she had punched Logan right in the face after he tried to wake her up. The nightmares were stranger now, Veronica felt less helpless in them. She had started fighting back, started lashing out at Josh when he came out towards her. Part of her felt like this was a good thing, a sign she was going to get over them. It didn't feel like it tonight though, Veronica was tense and wound up, unable to sleep.

So instead Veronica poured herself some water and sat on the patio enjoying the night. That is until the sliding glass door opened and Dick sat down across from her. He didn't say anything, he was quiet and just watched the water with her for a few minutes.

"How did your date go?" Veronica finally asked.

Dick shrugged, "Awkward. Good I think , it's hard to tell with Mac." He had admitted without actually admitting who he went out with the other night. Dick had ignored Veronica's question and left, but that had been enough. Logan nor Veronica had said a word about it, she had let Dick bring it up.

Veronica nodded, "I hear that."

"Why are you awake?" He seemed pensive tonight, real, human, "Nightmares or whatever?"

"Yup," she chewed her bottom lip and took a sip of water. Her throat seemed dry all of a sudden.

"I used to get nightmares, too. After Cassidy," Dick stayed fixed on the dark ocean in front of them like an expanse of shadows stretching across the world, "Just stupid stuff, like replaying old memories with some sort of sinister undertone."

Veronica nodded, "Sounds about right. I keep getting murdered."

"I did, too. I was always on the bus when it went over the edge."

She thought for a moment before asking him, "How did you get over it?"

Dick shrugged and sipped the beer he had brought with him, "I came to terms with Beav's death, all the awful stuff he did. The psychiatrist said I needed to confront what was making me so afraid, so I did."

"How?" Veronica looked at him curiously.

"I dunno, I went to his grave and shouted at him. Told him all the things I wanted to say. Just got it all off my chest, you know," he shifted uncomfortably, "I also had, like, a small service for him, too. He was a bad dude, but he was my brother and I loved him. I wish he had talked to me rather than do what he did." Dick's tone was sad, this wasn't something he had talked about much with anyone.

Veronica thought about what Dick had just said, saying nothing and choosing to just sit and think. It made sense in a way, should have been glaringly obvious, but Veronica wasn't sure if she was ready to make peace with Josh like that. She didn't have a grave to go to or ashes to scatter, just a few pictures saved on Piper's computer and memories stuck in her head. The memories part made her shudder, her spine was cold.

"Wait, why are you awake?" Veronica asked.

Dick shrugged, "Just can't sleep."

She nodded slowly, finally getting to her feet and patting his shoulder, "You're a good dude, Casablancas."

"You're better than I thought you were ten years ago, Ronnie." It was his version of a compliment in some backwards Dick way, but she understood.

Veronica climbed slowly into bed, trying not to wake Logan up. She wrapped her arm over his chest and felt him move under her hand, turning his head to look at her sleepily.

"You okay?"

"Yeah," she smiled and reached up to brush his hair off his forehead, "Just go to sleep."

Logan grunted affirmatively at her and rolled back over, Veronica rested her head against his back and sighed deeply.

Piper jerked herself awake in the morning, panicking that she had missed an alarm and was late for work. It had blended right into her dream, she was back in New York and had been out all night grocery shopping and missed work. Piz inhaled sharply and pulled back from her, bringing his hand up to his eyes.

"What happened?" he mumbled.

She gasped slightly and ran a hand through her hair, realizing where she was. Piper bent over and covered her face with her hands, letting herself acclimate to the hotel room again. She pushed the covers back and got to her feet, the tile cold under her toes.

Piz was sitting up on his elbow now, staring at her, "Piper, is everything ok?"

"What? Oh, yeah, fine," she walked into the bathroom and started the shower, letting the water run over her shoulders. Piper sat down on the tiles and wrapped her arms around her knees, resting her head on her forearm. She was overwhelmed, all of the pieces of her puzzle had finally emerged and every single one of them sat on her shoulders like a weight driving her into the ground.

The shower door opened and Piz climbed in with her, sitting across from her and saying nothing. He reached out and rubbed his hand over her arm, his hand finding one of hers and clasping it tightly. Piper lifted her head and stared at him, "What am I going to do?"

Veronica frowned when Piper told her, she had been doing that a lot lately. Wallace chimed in helpfully, "So what? That shouldn't stop the case, it doesn't make him not a murderer or a drug dealer because he's ex-FBI."

Veronica shook her head, "It doesn't work that way, not anymore," she and Piper exchanged a knowing glance, "It garners him a measure of protection. At least until the Bureau can get rid of him in a humane sort of way. DEA, Police, ATF, none of them can take action without the green light from the FBI. From the sounds of it, they won't give it any time soon."

Wallace crossed his arms over his chest and looked at Piper expectantly, "Then what's our next move?"

Piper threw a manila folder with the FBI file on the table and scowled at it, "Nothing. We don't have a next move."

Mac and Wallace looked at each other with surprised. Mac gestured to the file, "What? You can't do that, you can't just give up. I mean, look how far you've come. Giving up now? You don't give up, Veronica doesn't give up!"

Veronica sighed heavily and spread out her hands in defeat, "We don't really have a choice. We have to back away," internally, Veronica felt herself panicking. Piper had used the FBI database which meant Rodney would be alerted, since it was an outside source. Rodney would make them answer for it, he would assume automatically Veronica was involved. Now their careers were in jeopardy, if Rod had decided to push the envelope a little.

Piper's arms were crossed, everything about her was tense like a spring ready to uncoil, "Veronica's right," she said through gritted teeth, "We just have to drop it."

Mac sighed and looked around, "Well, I guess that's it then."

Wallace looked from Piper to Veronica, both of them sullen and sad, "I don't know about you guys, but I could use a drink."

Mac nodded enthusiastically, "Noon be damned, let's go get a beer."

Veronica sighed and glanced at her phone, sending a quick text to Logan to meet them at the bar downstairs. She got to her feet, not wanting to deny the prospect of something to calm her nerves. She wasn't ready to think about the feeling of utter failure that had fallen into her eyes.

Piper waved them out the door, "I'll be down in a second."

"I'll be down soon, too," Piz was looking at Piper with something Veronica recognized, but she couldn't put her finger on it. It wasn't weird for him to hang back, Piz was Piper's shoulder right now. Veronica shook her head slightly and turned away, heading downstairs with Wallace and Mac.

"She's completely destroyed," Mac said plainly as they got into the elevator.

"You got that right." Wallace replied.

Piz was watching Piper curiously, "Are you going to survive this?"

Piper just shrugged and faced the wall of information, slowly taking down the photos and file pages. She started stacking on them on the coffee table and glances over at Piz as he started to help, wordlessly, and fought back a smile. She was grateful for her time in Neptune, grateful for everything she had come to learn from the people here, grateful for having some measure of closure.

Most of all, Piper was grateful that she had met someone like Piz. Things were complicated and nowhere close to sorting themselves out, but something about it felt okay. It wouldn't be immediate, but it would be worthwhile.

Together they walked down the hall to the elevator, her hand clasped firmly in his, quiet. When the doors opened into the lobby, Piz let her hand go and they walked to the bar to reconvene with everyone else. It was fun, just sitting around and having a midday beer with friends. Veronica smiled warmly around the table, Piper's hands flailing in the midst of recounting a story about a capture gone wrong, Mac had her hand over her eyes laughing, Piz and Wallace grinned and chuckled behind their glasses. Veronica was overwhelmed with it, the sense of calm that had suddenly come down over them all. The case fizzling out seemed to have a rather unexpected twist to it, something positive had stepped in to take the place of vehement investigation. It was nice.

Logan swung a chair around behind her and rested his chin on her shoulder, reaching over and stealing some of her drink. He smiled at her and kissed her cheek, "You seem cheery."

"Just a sense of completion, I guess," Veronica reached up and patted his cheek.

It was after five when the group broke up, Mac excused herself to go meet with 'a friend' for an early dinner, Wallace left to grocery shop for his mom, and Logan insisted he and Veronica needed a dinner without Irish mob interference.

Piz sat next to Piper and reached over for her hand when the crowd disbursed. He squeezed her fingers, "I'm going to take a shower. You going to be ok?"

Piper nodded and released his hand, "Yeah, I just want to sit down here for a while longer."

Piz got up and left her there alone, retreating to his room. He walked down the hallway and glanced at the door to her hotel room, it was slightly ajar. Piz didn't think about it too much, he just reached over and closed the door and went back to his own room.

Piper sat at the table, watching the coming and going of people milling around the lobby. She was divided, trying not to feel the relief that accompanied her hamstrung case and unable to stop feeling this immense sense of loss. She was purposeless in Neptune now, rendered redundant. At the same time, she had started to feel at home here in this city, this hotel. Piper stared into the bottom of her glass, lost without some sort of next move on her case.

Someone sat across from her, hard, shaking the table. Piper looked up, startled, into the face of the man she had been hunting. The man across from her stared back at her, his gaze hard and predatory, like he was a lion stalking a gazelle. Her expression changed in a slip second, eyes narrowed and mouth curved in a thin frown. Nothing stopped, time didn't dilate, everything just fell silent. The world moved on behind Liam's head, but Piper couldn't hear it. He leaned back in the chair and folded his hands in his lap, a smug half-smile on his face. Liam had cleaned up, cut his hair, shaved, and donned a suit for this occasion.

Piper knew she was being watched, he wasn't stupid enough to come to her alone. It was the first time she had seen him in person since her surveillance night, the first time she had ever been this close to the man who murdered her sister. Piper said nothing, just placed her glass down and stared right back at him.

"Piper Cowell. Twenty-six, born in sunny San Diego. You've been snooping, little girl," Lia waved a finger at her, "You've been putting your nose where it doesn't belong. Did you find what you were looking for?" His expression shifted to exaggerated curiosity.

She said nothing, keeping her eyes fixed on his, determined to make him uncomfortable. Liam laughed, "So, I guess you can see, then. Why you don't scare me. Some little girl from California gone out to make it in the Big Apple. You're going to get yourself hurt out here, playing in the big leagues," he leaned forwards, "Tell you what, if you quit while you're ahead then I won't go after your friends, your family up in Maine, I'll leave you and your little boyfriend alone."

"And if I don't?" she said coldly, her voice stuck in the air like icicles.

"Well, then it's going to get very awkward when bodies start popping up around you, isn't it?" his voice was flat, warning.

"Why are you so worried about me if nobody can touch you?" Piper tapped the side of her beer glass, keeping her stare fixed on Liam.

Liam laughed again and ran his hand over his mouth, "I've got nothing to worry about with you, little girl. I just don't need you scaring off my people and my customers. If you keep it up, I'll make sure I scare you off instead," Liam got to his feet and tossed a twenty dollar bill on the tabletop, "On me."

Liam walked away from her then. Piper sat in her chair, finally letting her shoulders shake with the adrenaline she had been holding back. Tears welled up in her eyes and she bit her bottom lip, hard.

Mac fidgeted at the table in front of the cafe. Dick was running late, not that she was surprised, but she was finding it harder and harder to stop the anxiety as the minutes passed. Finally, she saw him jogging up the sidewalk waving at her enthusiastically, Mac waved back. Dick leaped over the wrought iron fence onto the patio and slid into the chair across from her.

"Hey," he said, somewhat nervously.

She gave him a small laugh, hands around her cup, "Hey,"

Dick watched her with a cocky half smile on his face, "So Veronica and Logan know I met you the other night."

Mac paled a little, involuntarily, "What? How did she find out?"

Dick shrugged, "I just didn't deny it. What's the big deal? Who really cares if she knows?"

Mac didn't know what to say, she was taken aback and found herself a little hurt that he had just out and told her best friend without asking her. Mac had intended to keep them a secret for a while, until she knew entirely what was going on between her and Dick and if it was something solid. This was something she hadn't prepared herself for.

It must have showed on her face, "Should I not have said anything?" Dick wasn't used to secret relationships like that, he didn't expect to hide Mac from the rest of the world.

"What? Oh. No, it's fine. I just didn't expect to tell everyone yet," she fidgeted with her coffee.

"Why not?" Dick was a little offended by that, apparently Mac wasn't as comfortable being with him as he was with her.

"I just wanted to feel it out, to wait and see what's going to happen," Mac could feel herself digging deeper into a dark hole, "I don't do relationships well, I get nervous and I like to feel the waters before I dive in."

Dick nodded, trying to understand, "I guess that makes sense."

They were quiet for much too long, Mac plucked the string of tension in the air, "Don't be upset. I don't phrase this stuff well, I just wanted to wait a while before publicizing the fact that we're seeing each other."

He sighed and nodded again, smiling at her amiably, "I get it. Keep it on the D.L. for a while."

Piper went upstairs after regaining her composure, she slid the plastic key into her lock and pulled it out, opening the door. She closed it and rested her forehead against the door with a heavy sigh. A light clicked on behind her in the room and she whirled around with a road, "What is it with people and doing this stuff to me?!"

Keith sat in the corner staring at her, frowning, "I guess you got paid a visit, too?"

"Too?" Piper stepped forward and paused, not taking the seat Keith had left tilted out for her, "What's going on?"

He sighed and leaned forwards, gesturing for her to sit. Piper folded her arms instead and remained standing, "Suit yourself. Liam paid me a visit the other night when I called you. I couldn't put my finger on why exactly he was so pushy about keeping you off his tail," Keith stared at her accusingly, "Then I did some digging of my own. Piper, you couldn't do anything to this guy if you wanted to."

She finally relented and sat down, "Says you."

"The only way you're going to be able to touch Liam Fitzpatrick is by dropping your badge and going rogue. Please just reassure me you have no intention of making such a stupid move."

She shrugged, the thought had crossed her mind, "I haven't taken anything off the table."

Keith sighed and rubbed his forehead, getting to his feet, "He sent you a message. Another girl was found right where Angela was dumped, same situation, same ruling. Accidental overdose. It's a message, Piper," he rested a hand on her shoulder reassuringly, "Do like he says and drop the case, enjoy your vacation , enjoy making friends. It's not worth it."

Piper didn't say anything, just listened for the door to close behind Keith. After he left, she made her decision. Nobody was going to come to her aid, Piper was going to have to make her move against Liam Fitzpatrick alone.

Veronica stared at the photo in her hand while she stood over the overlook just outside Neptune off the PCH. She and Josh, huddled together, smiling, skiiers in the background. Veronica blinked back tears at she stared at it, letting the rage and frustration well up inside her. She also let something else through the barrier, something heavier. It was sadness. Veronica let her grief in, let it consume her, let hot tears roll down her cheeks like fire. She stared at the photo for a while, running her fingers along Josh's face.

"You're an asshole. You ruined us, you ruined me, you ruined _everything_!" she shouted at his image, "I love you, I was ready to keep loving you forever and ever. If you had asked me to, I would have forgotten Neptune for you!" Veronica grabbed the photo and ripped it down the middle, holding on to Josh's image, "You hurt people, you made me a fool. You destroyed people's lives like it was some twisted joke to you. You're a monster! You're a monster and I loved you!"

Veronica couldn't explain it, yelling at half a photograph was cathartic. She felt the weight that had been sitting on her chest finally lift a little, "I hate you and I love you. I miss you and I'm glad you're dead," she was letting her body rock itself with sobs now, letting her tears go. She kissed his image and tore it to shreds, letting the pieces of him fall away into the sea, "Goodbye, Josh."

Logan walked up behind her slowly, hands on her shoulders. He didn't say anything, just let her grab on to him to stop herself from collapsing. Logan held her there, just letting Veronica cry. He watched the wind carry one of the pieces away and wrapped his arm around Veronica a little tighter.


	20. Burn

**Author's Note:**Thanks you guys for catching my scrub ass on scrub ass mistakes. I really, really appreciate it. School's in session again and full time work + full time school makes updating spotty for me, but don't worry. Now I get to write the exciting part :D All the set up for the next two/three chapters!

**Chapter 20: Burn**

"He _what?_"Logan replied loudly, staring at Veronica outraged.

Veronica sighed and gave him an exasperated sigh, "She didn't say exactly what, just that Liam cornered her unexpectedly. He's playing a cat and mouse game with her now, Logan. He named me to her."

Veronica wasn't standing idly by, she slipped her FBI badge out of her purse and over her neck, her gun was holstered against her hip. She had initially reacted to Piper's news with fear, worried about everyone in her life, but then something had shifted. Veronica chose not to be afraid, simple as that, just chose not to feel fear. Instead, she grabbed the situation by the horns and decided to fight back. Nothing offensive, all defense as she promised Logan. Veronica had pulled her holster out of her suitcase, cleaned the firearm, loaded it herself, and decided to keep it on her person at all times. The badge would deter any California law enforcement from asking too many questions, 'It will also strike fear into the hearts of bad guys', she had hoped to herself futilely.

Logan was pacing now, torn between furious and scared for Veronica. It wasn't so much himself he worried about, Liam's threat had extended to all Piper's known contacts, it was Veronica. She seemed so cool about all this, so nonchalant. It was like she had simply flipped a switch and gone back into FBI mode. Logan wasn't sure if he was okay with that.

Veronica shrugged on a light blue dress shirt and buttoned it, not tucking it in so it obscured the .45 without completely hiding it. It was the element of gentle threat without overt aggression, "Logan, this isn't the first time this kind of thing has happened to one of us. We're FBI, do you know how many people have a dollar sign attached to either of our names?"

He frowned, "That's not the point, Veronica. The point is that this guy isn't just coming for you this time, he's coming for all of us. Including me. I value my own life a whole lot less than I value yours, could you please just back down and let me hire someone to be with you when I can't."

'Here we go, college all over again. At least he's asking me this time.' "No. And please don't do it anyway, not again at least. You need to trust that after several years away, I have in fact changed and am quite capable of taking care of myself." Veronica winced at the note in her voice, condescending, antagonizing.

Logan shot her a sharp look, "You said something very similar back at Hearst."

"Back at Hearst, I was nineteen and not trained in any sort of combat, no side arm, and not a professional stalker of killers and cartels," Veronica whirled around and rested a hand on her hip, "I'm not a teenager anymore, Logan. Stop trying to make me be the girl that I was."

He was taken aback by that, Logan didn't expect her to be so cold to him in this moment. He didn't respond right away, but held on to his thoughts and tried to think of something helpful to offer. He couldn't find anything, "Please just let me help you."

"Help me by letting me deal with this on my own. I don't need a body guard," Veronica reached out and touched his hand, "I just need you to have a little faith in me."

Logan sighed and let her grab his hand, "I don't know that much about faith, but I know a lot about you. That's got to count for something," he offered her a conciliatory smile which she returned.

"Let's not fight about this or think about it, I'd like to enjoy these next few weeks with you."

The front door was open when Mac showed up at Dick and Logan's. Piper's phone call to her had left her jumpy and paranoid of small changes, the front door to the house of the guy she was seeing being wide open and the living room quiet seemed a good moment for Mac to be a little nervous. She took a hesitant step inside and knocked lightly on the doorframe.

"Hello?"

Silence.

"Hello? Dick? Logan? Anybody?" Mac whispered to herself, "Ruthless Irish gang lord?"

Her words echoed back to her and she was struck with a sudden sense of uneasiness, stepping backwards towards the door. Nothing in the house moved, she couldn't feel that sixth sense that someone else was there. Goosebumps surfaced on her arms and she shivered.

"Mac! I'm glad you came, I was going to call you." Said a voice behind her.

Mac jumped and screamed, "_Oh god!_" she whirled around and landed a hard punch in Dick's shoulder, "You scared the crap out of me! Why is your house so creepy and quiet right now?!"

Dick laughed at her fear, she made a mental note to kill him if she had the chance, "It's a big place, one person leaves for like five minutes and it's like a tomb. Did you bring your stuff?"

She nodded, "Yeah. Why did you need me to pack a bag?"

Dick sighed and put a hand on either of her arms, he leaned forwards and kissed her forehead, "I decided since you've made a mobster's hit list we should probably take off for a while."

Mac, surprised, pushed back from him and furrowed her brow, "Leave? I think that's actually a really, really bad idea. It's better to stay where Piper or Veronica can come to our rescue rather than face the outside world alone with no concept of how to deal with him. Plus, I have a job. I can't just take off for however long I want."

"I know. But you can also do your work from home. Well," Dick smiled cheekily, "Not home-home, but vacation home. We leave tomorrow morning."

She gave him a confused look.

"I rented a house up in Santa Barbara. Used a fake name, rented a car to drive, paid cash. Just a week or two up north," Dick took her face in his hands and tilted her head up to make Mac look at him, "Humor me. We can sleep in separate rooms, just humor me and take a week off."

Mac sighed and gave him a reluctant eye roll, "My bag is in the car, let me call my boss."

He gave her an exaggerated thumbs up and backpedaled out of the house to grab her bags. Mac shook her head, laughing, and folded her arms over her chest. 'So, a week up north in Santa Barbara playing house with Dick. This relationship – or whatever it is – has come a long way in the last few weeks.' She thought.

Piper sat on the balcony, resting her phone against her lips and watching the ocean. Piz placed a cup of coffee in front of her and sat down. He had been quiet since she told him everything that had transpired between herself and Liam Fitzpatrick. She hadn't expected much else, so it wasn't really a blow to their interaction.

He was staring at her, his expression told her he wanted to say something and just didn't know how. Piz looked down at his coffee and then put it back on the table. He folded his arms and stared out at the coast with her.

"I'm sorry," Piper said, breaking their standoff, "It's a pretty big pill to swallow. I wanted to let you know what you were getting into."

"Getting into," he repeated to himself and looked over at her again, "Piper, I've already gotten into it."

She took a sip, enjoying the hot bitterness, "You can still leave. Your flight is in a week, you can take off early. I'll pay for the change."

He scowled, something Piz didn't often do, "If you have to offer to do that then you haven't been paying attention, have you?"

Piper didn't respond. She knew he would react badly to that, but she needed to distance herself, be cold, start to push away from everyone. Piz got to his feet and walked inside, she could hear him pacing. Piper got up as well, slowly, and stood in the sliding glass doorway. She leaned against the frame and watched him walking back and forth across the living room.

He finally stopped and stared at her intently, Piper saw a fire behind his eyes she hadn't seen before. She had started to think she had struck a bad nerve with Piz, was preparing herself for him to lash out, "I can't just leave you here. Not with all of this happening, not until we know he's going to back off."

"Why not?" she offered unhelpfully.

Piz's face twisted in frustration, "Because you don't just turn your back on the person you're falling in love with!" he was shouting at her, gesticulating angrily, "You don't just leave the woman who makes waking up in the morning worth it to be pulled apart by a pack of wild dogs!"

He had expected Piper to say something, do to something profound, make some sort of noble gesture to give him some hint of how she felt, too. What she did was definitely unexpected. Piper left the room, she just strode across, opened the door, and left. Piz sat down on the coffee table and put his face in his hands, his heart was pounding in his chest and he wanted to scream.

Piper leaned against the door for a second, breathing heavily. She thought she felt tears welling up in the corners of her eyes, but she wiped them away. Quickly, she walked down the hallway into the elevator, not completely sure where she would go as long as it wasn't that room with Piz. He had used the L-word, the word she avoided like the plague unless she was in the room with a cute dog or a pair of really soft socks. Piper loved food, she loved Chow-Chows, she loved soft throw blankets, she loved a good martini. People were a different story. Love when it came to feelings and romance and boyfriends and Valentine's day wasn't her style, her scene, and something she would have to undergo bamboo torture to consider that.

Even as she thought it, she knew she was lying to herself. Piper liked to imagine her heart as being frozen in a chunk of comically blue ice, shrouded by frozen water clear as glass, just clear enough to be able to see the black rock her heart had become. Lately, she had been feeling weak and soft, like that ice was melting. It was a painful feeling at first, terrified her, but she had found herself growing used to it, fond of it even. It was a warm feeling now when she got to a restaurant or the bar and saw friends, people waving her over with fondness in their eyes rather than competition.

With Piz, Piper had felt that block of transparent ice melt. Unbeknownst to her, Piper had found herself starting to fall for him back. It was more than sleeping together, more than seeking refuge in his hotel room, more than getting drinks sometimes. She just hadn't noticed until the moment he had said that to her, told her he was falling in love.

Veronica glared at Logan defiantly, "You need to back off right now, Logan. I'm not talking about this again."

Logan sighed hard and slumped against the passenger side window, "Why can't we even talk about the possibility of hiring you some protection?"

"Because I'm normally the kind of protection people are looking to hire. I'm not going to let someone follow me around and I'm not going to let you follow me everywhere, Logan," Veronica snapped, "Now drop the subject before I ask you to get out of the car."

"You're being completely unreasonable."

"No, _you _are."

They drove in silence, got out of the car in silence, walked inside in silence. Mac and Dick sat on the couch, the fireplace lit and the TV on. A bottle of wine sat open on the coffee table, two glasses empty. Mac's head lay on Dick's shoulder, but she lifted it to smile at them.

"Hey, guys," the wine had apparently gone to her head and she was feeling brave, not even moving her legs from being tangled in Dick's.

Dick gave them a short wave and looked down at his hand, laced with Mac's. Veronica couldn't help but smile when she saw them, small and slight, but smile nonetheless, "Hey."

Veronica walked by the coffee table and snatched the open bottle, popping the cork and drinking without a glass. She put it down again and corked it, grinning at Dick and Mac again. Mac shot her a look of disgust, "Gross."

Logan and Veronica disappeared into his room. Veronica turned to him again, "You need to drop it and let it go. I'm not going to change my mind, Logan. I'm not nineteen, I'm not a helpless senior in high school, I'm not a junior year outcast. I'm twenty-six, licensed, trained extensively in the use of firearms and subduing techniques. I know self-defense and I'm physically in incredible shape, I can out run a gangster meth-head if I have to. I'm not going to have a body guard, I'm going to have a partner who will watch my back and I will watch hers."

Logan recoiled slightly, "I want you to be safe, Veronica. This guy pulls a lot of strings, he's gotten bigger and badder since you were last in Neptune a million years ago."

"I will be safe if you promise to be my stand-in partner when Piper's over at the Grand," Veronica tried to make her tone soft, but it came out sarcastic. Logan exhaled heavily and clenched his fist, she was struck with a stubborn streak and didn't intend to back down from this.

"Why do you still have such a hard time letting me help you? Why can't you just stop being so independent for once, for this one circumstance where your life literally and metaphorically is on the line?"

"Because I'm not a kid anymore! I'm not that girl you want me to be!" she gestured hard at herself, "You once told me that you can't be who I wanted you to be, well maybe now I'm understanding what you meant. I don't think I can be who _you_ want me to be." Veronica didn't know what else to do, she left again. Mac and Dick just watched her as she stormed out.

Veronica didn't cry, just let herself be unbelievably frustrated as she drove to the Grand. She knocked on Piz's door, trying to find someone to talk to. He opened it and stared down at her, his expression was taut and grim like something had just gone incredibly wrong.

"What's up, Veronica?" he didn't open the door to her, but Veronica had not expected him to. Their relationship was still strained and it would have been weird.

"Is Piper here?" she crossed her arms.

Piz shook his head, "No, she left a few hours ago."

Veronica frowned and reached into her purse, dialing out to Piper. It rang a few times and went to voicemail. Veronica checked an empty text inbox, "Has she called you? Text or anything?"

Piz checked his phone, "Nope, why? Is something up?"

"I just needed someone to talk to," something about this whole situation was suddenly weird. Piper wouldn't have just disappeared into the dark like this under the circumstances. In regular times, sure, but not with a gang hit on her name. That was weird.

"Veronica what's going on?" Piz was suddenly alarmed, he could feel her own uneasiness and it did not bode well for his own.

"I'm not sure. Can you come with me? I'm going to try to find her."

Together they got in the car and drove slowly. Veronica punched in a few numbers onto the Bluetooth screen. Wallace picked up, "Hey Veronica, what do you need?"

"Where are you right now?"

"Sitting at Java the Hut having a Skype date with my wife. Why?"

"Is Piper with you?"

Wallace sighed, "Veronica, why would I bring Piper on a Skype date with my wife in a coffee shop?"

He had a good point, "Oh. Yeah. Sorry. Hey how are you holding up?"

Wallace shrugged, but she couldn't see that part, "As well as I can seeing that there's a bounty on my head."

"_Supposedly_ a bounty on your head," Veronica corrected him, "I'm the only one Liam named. You guys are just caught in the crossfire."

"Oh yeah, when you add technical terms to it I feel a lot better," Wallace joked, "Look, if I see her I'll send her your way. Until then, I'm hanging up and I'm going back to my lovely wife."

"You say the word wife a lot."

"Goodbye Veronica." The line went dead.

Veronica sighed and glanced over at Piz, "This isn't right. She wouldn't go AWOL at a time like this, this is unlike her."

Piz was quiet, he tried to ignore the worrying feeling he was being stung with now. Something was telling him this was all wrong. Piper had walked out and nobody had heard from her, that was hours ago. It was starting to get dark out. Veronica pulled up to the beach house and walked inside with Piz. Logan walked quickly towards her and then slowed down, spotting her accompaniment. Piz gave him a slight nod and hung back, he knew how awkward this situation looked. Logan's trust issues were with Veronica, not Piz's problem, so he didn't try to make them.

"Has Piper been by here?" Veronica could hear herself being frantic.

Mac sat up and looked over at her, Dick watched mac, "Piper's missing?"

Veronica nodded and looked at Logan, "Has she called you or anything? She left Piz's place hours ago and nobody has seen her or heard from her since."

Logan shook his head, "No, she hasn't been by. Do you need help finding her?"

Veronica nodded and looked back behind her at Piz apologetically, "Can you take my car and check downtown? I need to go check my dad's, she might be with him."

Piz took Veronica's keys and drove off in the Saturn, headed for downtown Neptune. He twisted his hands on the steering wheel, feeling them slide with the sweat on his palms. If Veronica was starting to get worried, Piz found it very difficult to keep himself under control. He felt responsible, like he had driven Piper out of the hotel and it was because of him that she had taken off. He was overwhelmed by the possibility that Piper had been plucked off the street in an unmarked van and beaten into submission.

He slammed his hands on the steering wheel a few times, biting his thumb and staring out the windshield, 'Why did I say that? Why did I even bring it up? It wasn't even productive to the conversation, but no, I had to open my giant mouth and just word vomit all over the floor. Now she's probably stuffed in a truck somewhere,' the last part of that thought made him nauseous.

Logan pulled up to Mars Investigations and Veronica was already out the door before he had the chance to pull the E-brake. He raced after her, up the stairs, into Keith's office. Keith looked up at Veronica when she burst through the mottled glass door, "Hey honey, everything okay?"

"Is Piper here?"

"No, why?" his face shifted into an expression of concern.

"She's missing. Nobody has seen her since this morning and she isn't with anyone we know." Veronica fought the lump that had formed in her throat, the panic that was coursing through her now.

Keith stared down at his papers, suddenly dumbstruck with realization. He clasped his hands and leaned his elbows against the desk, finally looking up at Veronica with guilt in his expression, "I said something to Piper yesterday. I think I might be the reason she's missing."

Keith replayed the moment in his head again, recalled himself telling her, "_Unless you plan on dropping your badge and going rogue."_


	21. The Phoenix

**Author's Note:**This is a very Piper-centric chapter. It has to be, it's the climax. Anyway, everyone will have ramifications for what happens in this chapter. I've decided 1 post-climax chapter and an epilogue to bring it up to 23 chapters. I also had an idea for my next story, rather collection of short stories about what happened to everyone else (Duncan, how Jackie re-met Wallace, Parker, Max, etc). Anyway, enjoy this chapter :) As always, correct me where I'm needed!

**Chapter 21: The Phoenix**

Piper had stayed on the roof for a little over an hour before she decided it was time for her to move. She had felt her phone buzz once or twice, nothing alarming, and decided to leave it there. It was Keith who had made her decide what to do, Keith's words resounded in her own head over and over again. Piper knew it was true, nobody was going to do anything to him, nobody was going to move on him, nobody was going to help her find closure. Piper's version of closure in this instance was one of retribution.

She placed the iPhone on top of one of the air conditioning units and walked to the stairs. The hallway on her floor was quiet when she opened the door to her own room. Everything inside was dark, the curtains were drawn shut, the lights were all off. Piper stayed in the dark for a while, she was staring at her .45 placed on the coffee table, magazine resting beside it, holster spread over the couch. Under the curtains, she saw the light failing, starting to turn to dusk.

'Time to go,' Piper thought bitterly to herself.

She had made her decision the other night, decided to bid Piz a farewell and let Veronica and Logan have their happily ever after. She didn't anticipate coming back from what she planned on doing. For Piz to blurt out that he was falling for her was too much, Piper had to leave. She had to distance herself from these people she grew too attached to.

Piper got to her feet finally, slid on a pair of dark denim jeans and tucked them into tall, dark brown boots. Her arms slid easily through a black t-shirt and she reached for the belt and holster splayed out on the couch. The magazine clicked into place and the button on her holster snapped when she belted the gun to her hip. She braided her long hair over her shoulder tight against the back of her neck and pulled a black synthetic leather bomber jacket over her shoulders. Piper stood in front of the mirror, staring at herself.

This was a ritual she kept up before any big bust, you could arrange all the photos of Piper and Veronica from their first bust until their last and Piper would look as though it had all happened on the same day. She had heard footsteps in the hallway and a voice she pegged as Veronica's at some point while she got dressed, but she didn't go out into the hall. Two sets of footsteps had rushed down the hallway and Piper started to move.

She went to the bottom floor and got back a much classier car than she had started with, the bright white Chevy Spark would not have suited for doing unsavory deeds in the darkness. She had exchanged it for a small black Infinity Z4. After all, if this was to be her last night she may as well enjoy it in style, right?

It only took Piper twenty minutes to ease the Infinity against the curb adjacent to The River Styx. She sat in the car for a moment, staring at the façade of the building she had grown to loathe. Finally, she got out of the car and opened the trunk.

Piper pulled out a bottle, clear glass, corked shut, and removed the cork. Transparent yellowish liquid swished around inside under her hands, the bottle felt heavy, sure, confident. She grabbed a strip of white cloth from the bottom of the trunk and stuffed it inside the bottle so the end had started to soak up the liquid. It stank of gasoline, of fragility, of potential.

Piper stared at the building again, cradling the image of Angela's mangled corpse in her mind. She steeled herself against emotion, denied the sorrow in her throat passage, barred the gnawing self-doubt of what she was about to do, ignored the tug of sentimentality she had pushed away towards the friends she had made.

Piper pulled a silver Zippo lighter from her back pocket and lit the edge of the fabric. She strode towards the bar and gripped the bottle, leaning her arm back, and took a powerful step forwards. The flaming cocktail of all her rage and hatred slid out of her fingers. Piper watched it smash through a window in a room above the façade. She stood there in the darkness, watching the impending growth of orange and yellow glow gently at first in the window.

Keith grabbed his jacket and moved quickly, "Veronica, can you get through to her?"

Veronica shook her head, "No. Piz is still looking for her downtown."

"Call him. Get him to come by here."

She did as he ordered, Piz had found no sign of the Spark or of Piper, nobody he asked had seen her downtown. Piz's foot was heavy on the pedal as he pushed the Vue as hard as it would go. It cut the time in half it normally would have taken him to get to Mars Investigations, he found himself running up the stairs.

Keith grabbed his shoulders, "We need to find her. She won't be downtown. She'll be somewhere poetic, like the pier or the spot her sister died."

"That's forty-five minutes from here," Veronica said urgently.

Keith nodded, "We have to split up, I'll go to where Angela was found. You and Logan check the pier, Piz come with me."

And so they divided up, Logan and Veronica sped towards the pier. Nothing.

Keith and Piz were on the highway halfway to San Diego when Piz was hit by a jarring sense of realization. He reached over and hit Keith in the arm, "Stop, stop, stop. You're going the wrong way," his voice got louder as he was suddenly flooded with a sense of alarm, "I know where she is."

Piz fumbled for his phone and dialed Veronica's number, "You're in the wrong place, get to The River Styx now. You have to go, right now!" he shouted.

Veronica hung up and explained to Logan as they ran to the Land Rover, "Piz thinks she went to The River Styx, he thinks Piper would go right to the source."

"What do you think?" Logan asked, clicking the belt into place.

Veronica frowned and mulled it over, she looked up at him and nodded, "I think he's right. Normally she'd corner them, she's like a fox and roots her prey where she wants it to end up. This isn't a normal situation, she has to change up her strategy. The only choice Piper has is to pitch herself into the belly of the beast."

Piper watched the smoke begin to wisp out of the upper floor of the building. She strode slowly, purposefully towards the front door and pushed it open, hard. Everyone looked up, but it was Liam who got to his feet. His sleeves were rolled up, he wore tattered jeans, and was particularly less cleaned up than he had been at the Grand.

His face broke into a feral smile when he saw her, resting the pool cue against the edge of the table, "Well, well. What do we have here?"

She said nothing, just watched him coolly. Piper glanced at the staircase to the right of the bar, saw a small film of smoke start to filter down. She gave him a slow, dark smile and felt her fingers twitch in anticipation.

It was Molly Fitzpatrick who followed her gaze, letting out a slight scream ,"Fire! Holy crap, fire! Get everyone out of here!" she tossed the bar counter up and ran past it, ushering people out. There were a few cronies of Liam's who hung back, watching him for his instructions. The fire had started to rage now, it had really begun to get a taste for the old wood of the bar. Flames had begun to lick at the end of the stairs, the sides of the back shelves.

Liam gestured to the men watching him, "Get out of here. I can handle this one on my own, boys."

They walked past her, intending to push her or knock her down, but the way Piper carried herself made them second guess themselves. Instead, they parted around her like a stream around a boulder, Piper wasn't planning to move and they couldn't bring themselves to try and make her.

Smoke filled the room now, Piper felt it burning her eyes. The pool table behind Liam was being tested warily by the fire, tasting it, whetting its appetite for more. The whole room was aglow with red-orange flames, something crackled and fell behind her, but she didn't care to check.

Piper took a few steps towards Liam and fixed her eyes on his, "You knew this day was going to come eventually."

He said nothing, just smirked. They circled each other, Liam shoved tables out of the way, created almost an arena for just the two of them.

"You knew I was going to find you, you knew I was going to tear you down," Piper didn't reach for her gun, she had brought that with her in case she needed it. No, she intended this moment to be personal, to be physical, to be arduous and terrible.

Liam raised his fists and gave her a sharp laugh, "Come on then, little Clancy, show me what your type of vengeance looks like."

Piper shrugged off her jacket and cast it off, letting go of the twinge of sadness that the jacket would be eaten alive by the fire that was starting to rage. She closed in on him and took the first punch, he ducked and went for her side. She felt the hard force of wind being pushed from her lungs, but ignored it, snapping her arm back to strike him in the temple when he attempted to straighten up.

Liam aimed his knee for her stomach, but Piper curled in on herself for a split second and let her forearms take the blow. She winced and lashed out at his chest quickly, landing a hard punch in his chest. He took a few steps backwards and Piper took the moment to recover. She hopped from foot to foot, smiling viciously at him, "If that's the best you can do, your little gang is in serious need of a reelection."

Liam scowled at her, she had started to get under his skin, "Stop talking and start trying."

It was his turn to lunge for her, he grabbed her by the shirt and heaved her forwards, slamming Piper into the ground. She let out a startled noise and felt tiny wood splinters scrape across her face as she slid. Piper rolled to the side when Liam brought a foot down towards where her head had been. His foot broke collided with the floor with a bang and Piper moved quickly. She wrapped her hands around his ankle and his calf, twisting hard to throw him off balance.

It worked, Liam's head smacked into the wood and he roared in agitation. Piper scrambled to get her bearings back, rolling onto her stomach and moving forwards on her forearms. She had gotten to a small crouch when Liam's boot heel collided with the side of her hip. Piper shrieked in pain and stumbled forwards again, bracing herself on her hands. An upturned shard of wood sliced into the heel of her hand and she let gritted her teeth to try and bear the sting.

Piper felt Liam launch himself onto her back and wrap an arm around her throat, pinning her to the ground. He struggled to get a knee into her back and his struggle had bought her the seconds she needed. Piper pitched her elbow back as hard as she could, feeling it land hard under his armpit. Something gave under her elbow and he let out a scream. Piper squirmed to get away and threw her elbow back again, hard.

It made contact with what she assumed was his face, blood gushed warm and thick over her elbow and he recoiled onto his back with a cry of surprise or anguish, it was hard to tell which one. She scrambled forwards, stumbling over herself, and got to her feet. Piper's chest heaved with the effort of it all.

She didn't turn to face him for a second, taking a moment before unclipping the .45 from its holster. Piper turned slowly and raised the gun, her injured hand wrapped around the trigger, uninjured hand steadying her grip.

Liam tried to move backwards, hands raised in defense. He was laughing, darkly, defeatedly. Blood flowed freely from his nose and a cut on his forehead, rolling into his eyes and mouth, staining his teeth crimson.

Piper's shoulders shook and she pointed the barrel of the gun at him, "Say her name." she said quietly.

He laughed louder, incredulously, "What?! Who's name?"

"Don't play games with me!" Piper shouted, "Say her name, say it now!"

"I don't even remember her name!" he shouted back.

Piper's eyes were cold, hard, unforgiving. She roared at him, "I want you to die with Angela's name on your lips. Say it, say it!"

"Angela?" Liam tried to remember.

Piper bared her teeth in a wince of pain when she put pressure on her right leg, he mistook that for something animalic and predatory, choosing to say it again and again in against maniacal laughter.

Veronica stared at the sight before her, the façade of The River Styx vomiting fire and smoke. Far off, she heard sirens. Veronica threw the door of the Land Rover open, Logan followed her muttering, "Oh my god, oh my god."

Something hit Veronica in the side of the head and she crumbled to the ground, stars mottling her vision. Danny Boyd seemed to materialize out of the darkness and dropped a plank on the sidewalk. He looked down at her with a violent smile on his lips, "Well, well. Miss Mars, nice to see you again."

Logan looked over at her and let out a shout, "Veronica!"

Danny looked over at him and put his hands up, bracing himself in time for Logan to hurl himself at Danny. It was a flurry of punching, Logan felt a rib crack and slammed his fist into Danny's cheek. There was a snapping sound and a shriek of fury.

Danny pulled away from Logan and stumbled backwards. Logan wrapped an arm around his side and smiled combatively back at Danny. He wiped a trail of blood from a cut on his forehead, "Man up, Danny. Don't run away now."

"Who said anything about running away?" his speech was stifled, Logan was sure he had broken a cheekbone.

Veronica shook her head sharply, felt the haze recede from her vision. She looked down the sidewalk at Logan and up the sidewalk at Danny. It seemed everyone had expected her to lay there and take a two-by-four to the temple lying down, Veronica groped the sidewalk until she found the piece of wood.

Danny threw himself at Logan again and pushed him back into the pavement, laying a volley of punches into his chest and head. Logan tried to move, get out of the way, but the blows to his head and into his broken rib made it impossible to think.

Veronica forced herself to get to her feet, to ignore the throbbing welt on her head and the tiny rivulet of blood working its way slowly down her temple. She fixed her eyes on Danny Boyd, landing blow after blow into Logan. She let out a cry of fury and lifted the heavy block of wood in a sweeping arc, perfectly into the back of Danny's head.

He stopped punching Logan immediately, his whole body went completely limp and he slumped off to the side, tolling onto the asphalt. Veronica shoved the rest of him off of Logan and collapsed onto the ground beside him. She felt herself crying, but it was surreal. Logan coughed and let out a small whimper at the pain it caused his ribs.

Veronica lifted his head up gingerly and took it into her lap, stroking his hair, "Oh my god, Logan," she felt herself sob as she stared down into his too-familiar face that had already started to swell.

He looked up at her with one eye, the other swollen and bruising, "Piper…"

"Shh, shh, don't talk, just wait. There's an ambulance coming," she heard another car's brakes squeal and two doors slam shut. Veronica looked up and saw Keith and Piz staring at the building that was slowly becoming a mass of orange and yellow flames, "Dad!"

Keith turned to her and ran over, Piz followed close behind him. Keith crouched down and checked Logan's pulse, Danny's pulse, "Veronica, what happened? Where's Piper?"

"Still inside," Veronica's own voice seemed far away from her, she was stroking Logan's temples, tapping his cheeks to keep him from passing out.

Piz and Keith exchanged looks, Piz looked up at the burning façade, "Don't," Keith said, knowing in his heart how futile it was for him to say a word.

Piz was already running past patrons and employees alike huddled on the sidewalks coughing up smoke. He put his hands up and kicked open the door, shielding his eyes from the brightness of the fire and using his sleeves to breathe. He could barely see anything, think smoke had moved into the building like a storm, wild and static and burning his skin.

Finally, he reached a spot where it was less smoky, hadn't entirely caught fire. Piper stood in front of Liam with a gun aimed at his chest. She inhaled sharply through gritted teeth and he heard Liam laughing and saying the name, 'Angela', over and over again.

Piz took a cautious step towards her hand held out his hand, "Piper-"

She didn't look over at him, but he could hear the surprise in her voice, "How did you find me?"

"Smoke signals," he tried to joke, ease the tension in the room, the brutality. Blood was pouring down her arm and he watched her nurse her right leg, "Piper, put the gun down."

"I can't do that." Her voice was cold.

Nevertheless, Piz took a few slow steps towards her, his hand still outstretched for her, "Piper, put it down. This isn't how this goes down, you know that.

"This is the only way it goes down, Piz. Don't you get that?" he was close to her now, his fingers close enough to brush against her shoulder, "The only way he goes down is if I make him go down." Piper could hear the shakiness in her own voice as she said it.

"No, it's not the only way," Piz had placed a hand on her now, "Piper, don't do this. You don't want to do this. This isn't like the guys you've put away before, this is a vengeance shot," he waited a few moments, "If you take this shot, you're losing more than your job. You're doing more than avenging your sister, you're jeopardizing us all. You become a murderer if you pull that trigger."

Piper had tried to hold back tears, not let herself cry, but it was impossible with the heat and the smoke stinging her eyes. She felt Piz's hand rest on her wrist.

"I know you can make the shot, I know you can do this. But I don't think it's what you want," he was pushing her hand down, moving the barrel away from Liam, "You don't want this. Don't fool yourself into thinking you want this."

"He's killed so many of them," she said quietly.

"I know," Piz reached forwards and held onto her from the side, one arm around her lower back and the other still pushing the firearm away, "I know he has. You don't need to be like him, you don't need to find justice the way he does. You've worked for the FBI for how long, you know there's always a plan. Now is not the time for this plan," her arms went slack and he pulled her to him, keeping his eyes fixed on Liam, "You have to believe there's a plan. Vengeance killing is still killing."

Piper was crying into his shoulder now, taking deep, gasping breaths. She remembered the fire, the thick smoke, and coughed. She looked up and stopped herself from crying, peering behind Piz. A beam fell hard and fiery across the front door, Piz started coughing and followed her gaze.

Liam lay there on the ground, watching them helplessly. He had come to terms with his own death, this moment of watching it pass through his fingers had left him stunned. Not to mention he couldn't move very farm from his spot among the burning furniture of his once beloved family bar.

Piper looked at the back of the room and saw the rear entrance was open, the fire hadn't quite managed to engulf the back of The River Styx. She tried to put weight on her right leg and winced in pain, something had torn or fractured it was hard to say. Piz wrapped his arm under her shoulders and helped her hobble towards the back door as quickly as he could.

He turned back just for a second and saw Liam fumbling with something, a small pistol, aiming it directly at Piper's back.

"No!" Piz shouted and pulled Piper to the side. He felt hot, white pain shooting through his upper arm, as though the world moved in slow motion Piz watched the bullet slice through his upper arm and peel back the skin on its way out.

Piper's hands seemed to move through molasses, she raised the .45 and aimed it over Piz's shoulder. It was a reflex when she fired the shot into Liam Fitzpatrick's chest, it had no sign of vengeance and no boil of blood behind it. It was just her reaction to the gunshot she had heard. Either way, Liam fell back suddenly and heavily, Piper heard the skittering noise of a pistol sliding along the wood of the floors.

Neither of them stopped to check if he was alive, neither of them cared. Piz and Piper leaned on each other as they made their crippled way out the back door and into the night air, sour with the scent of smoke.

Piper made them walk farther out into the night, around the building and a ways away across the street. Finally, she and Piz dropped to the sidewalk together, his good arm wrapped tightly around her shoulders and hers around his back to support him.

They said nothing, just watched the building start to crumble under the weight of the fire. The fire department showed up and began to try and hose it down, but even in them was a sense of defeat. They knew the building was lost, gone for good. Piper slumped her head against Piz's shoulder and stared into the building, something had lifted from her heart, some heavy weight that had been sitting there for far too long.

"Let's get you to an ambulance," she finally said, remembering Piz had taken a bullet to the arm. They braced themselves on one another and began to walk to the main street.

Veronica gripped Logan's hand tightly, letting herself cry freely. He gave her a tired smile from the gurney, waiting while the paramedics prepared the ambulance and continued to clear people to go home.

"Hey, don't cry," Logan said slowly, "Just a flesh wound." He said with a mock British accent.

She laughed through her tears despite herself and lifted her head to blink them away. Out of the darkness she saw Piz and Piper, limping, walking slowly towards the crowd. Veronica stared at them and Logan followed her eyes.

He squeezed her hand, "I'm not going anywhere."

Veronica let him go and ran towards them, using her hand to support Piz's elbow. His upper arm was bleeding profusely from what she assumed was a gunshot. There had been two in quick succession, Veronica had tried to push out the thought that it had not gone Piper's way. Apparently, one of those victims had been Piz.

The three of them said nothing, just hobbled to the ambulance where a paramedic grabbed a hold of Piz and let him to one of the cars. Piper sighed and slumped against the side of one of the trucks, Veronica stared at her.

Piper smiled slightly, "Sorry, I didn't mean to cause such a fuss."

Veronica grabbed her in a hard hug and squeezed her, "You could have died."

"I would have died if I did nothing, too. Catch twenty-two, you know," Piper hugged her back, "I'm sorry, Veronica."

Veronica shook her head, unable to talk through the tightness in her throat. Piper stroked her hair gently and laughed airily. Finally, Veronica moved away, "I'm just glad you're okay. I'm sorry I told you to give up."

"I brought this on myself, just maintaining the illusion of being a whirlwind of trouble," Piper let out a cry when she put pressure on her right him. Another paramedic came to collect her.

Keith hugged Veronica gently and nodded to Logan's ambulance, "Your chariot awaits."

"Thanks, dad," Veronica sighed.

"I'm just glad everyone's okay," Keith kissed her forehead and ushered her off to ride with Logan to the hospital.

He walked over and stood in front of Piper while they inspected her leg, "Colorful evening,"

"Same old, same old," Piper didn't look up to meet his gaze, she was embarrassed.

"You did what you thought you had to, I hope you know there's no shame in that," Keith patted her head.

Finally, Piper looked up at him and smiled weakly, "I should have left it alone."

"Hindsight is twenty-twenty."

The two of them watched the building, charred, smoking, billowing white and black steam. The flames had started to die down now, something inside crashed and the building seemed to waver under the stress. Piper sighed, content with the ashes the symbol of all her pain for so many years had become.


	22. Young Volcanoes

**Author's Note:**I'm a sucker for happy endings. This ending had to be happy. Like I said, epilogue and repercussions. Let me have this moment of happy things, damn it.

**Chapter 22: Young** **Volcanoes**

It was a week later when Piper got the call from Rodney; a summons to a hearing challenging her authority and her position. Piper had expected this - provided she had walked away alive at least - and didn't have to fight any sort of surprise. She had a thick bandage on her hand and twelve stitches underneath it, a butterfly bandage held the three stitches over her eyebrow closed. Bruises had begun to yellow under her right eye and across her chest. Holding the phone to her ear had been a painful experience, but Piper refused to cave and use a headset.

Veronica had been prepared to fight for Piper, to convince Rodney and the board that she had been right to do what she did, but she had told Veronica to back off and let it go. Veronica remembered wanted to tear her head from her shoulders.

"How can you just let them?! You are just letting them take away everything you've worked for!" Veronica screamed.

Piper sighed heavily, a calm smile danced at the corner of her lips, "Veronica, relax. It'll be fine, I expected this kind of thing. I'll probably lose my job," she shrugged nonchalantly, "But these things work out for the best."

Veronica just shrieked with rage and paced back and forth in the hotel room. Piper let out a small laugh and grabbed Veronica's hand as she walked by, she pulled her down to sit on the sofa. The two of them sat in silence until Veronica lolled her head onto Piper's shoulder.

"I don't want you to be fired. I don't want a new partner."

"So don't take one. You know you have options," Piper replied softly.

It had been a point of contention between them, Piper's inherent sense of reality and Veronica's constant denial of what was already in motion. This was new, this part of their disagreement. Piper knew she was inevitably going to be fired, Veronica denied it. Piper knew Veronica had other choices, Veronica denied it.

Logan had been hospitalized for three days before the doctors were content that he wasn't going to collapse at any moment, three more for them to let him out. Piper had gone with Veronica to the beach house after Wallace had picked him up. She waited outside Logan's bedroom, but pretending someone can't hear you when they can't see you is juvenile.

"I have to go back with her, they're putting her on board review and they're probably going to strip her badge," Veronica said frantically.

"You can't go, let her go by herself, at least for a few days," Logan sighed, more exhausted than exasperated, "Veronica, I need you, too. Just for this part."

"I have to go back with her," there was a spark of stubborn in Veronica's voice Piper knew nobody could reason with.

Logan being himself decided he could try, "Don't leave. Veronica, don't leave."

In the room, Logan reached for her fingers weakly and they brushed against her hand. She shook her head sharply and pulled her hand back, "I can't stay. I've got to go back with Piper, when it's over…." her sentence trailed off, implying she was open to coming back.

Hurt filled Logan's face and he frowned softly, "There you go again, typical Veronica, running from Neptune all over again," he paused for a moment and considered, "What guarantee do I have that you will come back to me?"

"You don't," it was a cold response, but Veronica knew she needed to be honest right now if he hadn't been honest before, "I can't make promises I'm not sure I'll keep."

Veronica left the room then, left Logan standing in the middle of the room by himself. He stared at his hands and said nothing. Veronica walked purposefully past Piper meant to signal her to follow. Piper did.

Piper jogged to catch up with Veronica and matched her pace, "What are you doing, V?"

"Being there for a friend," she answered sharply.

"By giving up everything you've ever wanted in your whole life here in Neptune?"

"By not giving up on a friend and career I love, by not giving up on my own independence, by not giving up on New York." Veronica was staring at her with the bright light of fury in her eyes, or was it hurt?

Piper frowned and just stared at her in that way she had of making you feel naked, like she was staring right into your eyes and could see your thoughts playing like a DVD on repeat, "You're giving up the one thing we both stopped thinking we would ever find in our abnormal lives. You're giving up your foundation, you're giving up the man who understands what moves you. Ever since you came back, he's been the one who has stepped in and picked up the pieces of your life you keep dropping. Veronica, giving up on your soulmate is the same as giving up on your friend, your career, independence, or whatever excuse you make for yourself."

They said nothing after that, just walked out through the living room and drove back to the hotel. Piper got out of the car and watched Veronica drive back to her father's apartment, she walked inside and into her room. A suitcase was half packed and Piper's shoulders slumped with a sigh when she started folding clothes again and packing them up.

Slow, heavy knocking drew Piper's attention away and she walked out into the living room to open the door. Piz stood in the hallway, his left arm in a sling and bandages wrapped around his upper arm. It had taken twenty-nine stitches through the muscle in the front and back to seal it, the bone had been grazed and miraculously avoided a fracture.

Piper smiled and leaned against the doorframe, "Afternoon, sailor, how can I help you?"

Piz looked hazy through the pain killers he was still taking and leaned forwards to kiss her gently. His free hand reached up and cupped the back of her head, tangling in her hair as he pushed her inside the room and kicked the door shut with his leg. He finally let her go after a few minutes and rested his forehead against hers.

She laughed breathily, "Well, that hydrocodone really did a number on your bravery, didn't it."

"I won't be able to do that for a long time, so I might as well enjoy it while I can," they both closed their eyes and she rested her hand on his, feeling his thumb slide over her cheek, "I'll miss you."

"We still have like a sixteen hour flight across the country, including layovers. You've got like an entire day left to do that."

"A day isn't long enough." Piz kissed Piper again.

Wallace sat on the couch back at the beach house and looked up when Logan finally walked into the room and sat on the edge of the coffee table. He leaned forwards and sighed, "You know how Veronica is. You put her in a corner and she starts to burn the house down. Give her a few hours to cool off, man."

"I can't take it again, Wallace," Logan looked up and Wallace could see his cheeks dampened by tears from bloodshot eyes, "I can't take her leaving me alone again. It's torture. I just want to know she's coming back to me, not in ten years, not in six years, but soon. I want to know every day she's going to come back to me. I don't care if it's New York, Neptune, Kansas, Greenland. I don't care. I just want to know she's with me forever."

Wallace gave him a sympathetic smile, "You know, that's how I felt about Jackie after we found each other again," he moved closer to Logan so neither would have to talk very loud, "I felt like if I walked away from her, my whole world would stop meaning something. Everything I did wouldn't matter because she wasn't there doing it with me."

"What did you do?" Logan reached up and wiped his cheek on the sleeve of his shirt, wincing as he applied too much pressure under his bruised eye.

Wallace let out a small laugh and twisted the thick gold band on his finger, "I married her. Even if I went back to Neptune and she stayed in Chicago, I would always know she's there for me."

Logan and Wallace shared a knowing expression and Logan finally nodded. Veronica was leaving in the morning with Piz and Piper, they were all sharing a flight back to New York and Piz intended to take a train back to Boston.

Veronica sat at the island in the kitchen and pushed the glass of wine in circles. Keith stared across the counter at her and reached up to stop the glass, "Veronica, what's bothering you?"

"You mean other than my best friend is inevitably going to be fired and I''ll have to transfer or find a new job and work with people I hate?" she sighed, "Everything."

"Do you want to talk about it?" Keith topped off her glass and watched her pick at the vegetable lasagna he had made special for her.

"Not really," she finally took a bite and forced herself to smile, "I leave in the morning, let's not talk about last weekend. Let's just talk about our positive aspirations for the future and when you're going to visit me in New York again."

"If you stay in New York," Keith glanced up at her and met her accusing stare with a slow shrug, "I'm just saying, it would be nice to have you closer to home. I mean, I wouldn't complain if you changed offices or took up a profession that kept you in safe, suburban bliss forever and ever."

Veronica flicked a piece of carrot at him and smirked, "Maybe I can take up residence in that hamster ball you wanted me to live in."

"I haven't completely ruled out that option, I don't think I ever will," he finished his glass and gestured to her, "Are you going to sleep here or are you headed to the Grand to stay with Piper? I know you girls need to get on the road early."

"At the Grand. I don't want to make Piper drive more than she needs to." Veronica sighed.

"Did you ever find out what was going on with her and Piz?" Keith asked carefully and pretended he didn't notice her surprised expression while he stared intently at his lasagna.

"Piper and Piz? What do you mean?"

"Oh, nothing. Just thought it was weird the guy would run into a burning building to get a girl he classified as 'a friend'," Keith had figured something was different that night when he watched Piz's face before he ran inside The River Styx. Piz had no hesitation, his face was strained with determination and there was no sign of second thought when he took off through the front door of the bar.

"Hm," Veronica furrowed her eyebrows and decided that was enough talking about it.

Veronica gave Keith a long hug before heading to the Infinity with her suitcase, she loaded her things into the shallow trunk and headed to the Grand. There wasn't a lot of point to bringing everything up to Piper's room, so Veronica went up empty-handed instead.

She went to knock on the door, but it opened into her instead. Veronica jumped backwards and made room for Piz, flushed and smiling widely, to step out into the hallway. She stared at him, "Hey, Piz. What are you doing in Piper's room?" 'Flushed and dizzy?' she omitted.

"Oh, Veronica, hey. Uh, just catching up about...flight details," he didn't stop to talk, instead he walked briskly to his room and left Piper to hold the door open for Veronica.

Veronica stared at Piper curiously as she stepped inside the room, "Is there something I should know about?"

Piper shrugged and shook her head, she was not a convincing liar right now, "Not that I can think of. Come on, we have to get some sleep. Flight's at eight and we have to be there by five thirty if we want to survive the personal purgatory that is waiting for security."

There was no more conversation, Piper disappeared into the bedroom and left Veronica alone on the sofa. She lay under the extra blanket and channel surfed, instinctively picking up her phone to check for messages from Logan. It felt unusually cold by herself, she had gotten adjusted to having Logan's war, heavy body beside her every night for three months. She stared at the blank screen

No word from Logan.

Veronica frowned and put the phone face-down on the table and rolled over, leaving the TV on so she could let the noise drown out her thoughts. She forced back the urge to cry, forced back the urge to feel sad or homesick. Veronica squeezed her eyes so tightly and concentrated so hard on feeling nothing, she didn't notice she had fallen asleep until Piper started shaking her shoulder.

Veronica groaned, "It's not even light out."

"Planes wait for no man," Piper bent over and used the hotel towel the ruffle her hair until it was almost dry. Veronica forced herself off the couch and into the shower while Piper got dressed.

Flying sucked, Piper hated it. She made no effort to conceal this hate in her wardrobe; loose lounge pants and a tank top with some too-large name brand sweatshirt. She let her hair dry into its natural slightly wavy state and pulled it into a ponytail looped in the back of a curved-brim baseball cap.

Veronica laughed at her and didn't deviate from Piper's choice of comfort, opting for the shorts Piper had laid out for her over the lounge pants. They finished shoving clothing and toiletries into Piper's suitcase, double checking the room before heading out the front door.

Piz was already standing in the hallway, arm still in a sling, suitcase resting by his side. He smiled at them, but Veronica realized he was only looking at Piper when he did it, "Ready to go?"

Piper grimaced, "Let's catch a plain."

The three of them piled into the elevator and headed down to the car. Piz couldn't get his suitcase to fit in the trunk with Piper and Veronica's so he opted to put in in the back with himself. He buckled it into the seat and finagled a one-handed buckle on himself.

Piper adjusted the mirror and made a face at him, "Give it some eyes and a baseball hat and we've got us a way to use the carpool lane."

They drove quietly, mostly because it was barely dawn. Veronica rested her head against the passenger side window and stared at the gray dawn blooming over the horizon like steam, the sun chasing it down like a hand wipes that steam from a mirror.

Getting out of the car was slow and arduous, it shouldn't have been for any logical reason, but Piper could feel the emotional drain the departing process was having on her partner. She placed a gentle hand on her and squeezed, passing the keys to the rental attendant.

The three of them wheeled their suitcases across the parking lot and into the front of the San Diego Airport. It wasn't much, but it was definitely a sign that their time in Neptune was really over. Piper walked up to the counter with Piz under the promise of getting Veronica's ticket.

"Is she going to be okay?" he asked her.

"I'm not sure, but I hope she's okay soon because this play ride is going to be extremely long if she isn't," Piper looked back at Veronica sadly and took the tickets, checked the bags, and walked back to her.

The three of them started to walk up the long slope to the security line in silence, Piper's hand gently brushed Piz's and she felt his fingers twitch expectantly. They both remembered their agreement to keep whatever this was under wraps for a while, until Veronica had figured herself out.

"Wait!" someone was shouting. Nobody turned because it's never for you when this kind of thing happens.

"Veronica, stop!" that made all three of them stop and turn around.

Veronica stared at Logan, shoving people out of the way as he ran for her, "Stop! Stop moving, stop," Logan finally caught up to them and breathed heavily.

"Logan what are you-" Veronica began, stopping when he grabbed her hands in his and stared down at her intently.

"My whole life has been nothing but violent thing after violent thing, disappointing thing after disappointing thing. You have always, _always_ been the light at the end of the tunnel for me. When you left Neptune, I left with you. I didn't realize it then and I was too stubborn and proud and stupid to say anything when I did realize it," he fished into his pocket for something and she found herself unable to focus on what it was, "I don't want you to stay here in Neptune, I want you to stay with me. Wherever here is, I want to stay there with you. I'm tired of chasing you and never knowing when you're going to come back. I don't care where we go from here, I just want you to go there with me. I'm promising you to never walk away from this, from you. I will always be exactly where you leave me, I will always wait for you to walk through the door," Logan sank down and stared up at her, holding something small and glinting in the dim airport fluorescents, "Veronica, I can't promise you something perfect, or flawless, or half of what you even begin to deserve. But I can promise you me, I can promise you I will always love you for who you are. I can promise you that you'll always have me on the other side of the door when you walk in. I don't care if it's in Neptune or New York, I just care that it's with you."

He didn't formally say the words, but his implication was heavy in the air. Bystanders had stopped and turned to them, faces alight with anticipation. Piper watched Veronica and bit her lower lip, willing her in her head to take the ring he presented her and accept this promise he was making. She felt herself well with tears, happy and sad at the bittersweet moment when she could feel her friend slipping away from her. It wasn't away forever or away from their closeness, but it was away from the life they had begun to make together. It was a happy moment, but it was also fringed in a halo of sadness.

A hand slipped into hers and Piz's fingers squeezed Piper's. She looked up at him and he smiled slightly down at her.

Veronica felt a ball in her throat, a huge ball of words and history and time and music and sound. It was indecipherable at first, she placed her hands on his cheeks and pulled Logan to his feet. She kissed him fiercely, like she was kissing him again for the very first time. People clapped around them, but she couldn't hear anything other than the sound of Logan's heartbeat. He wrapped her up in his arms and lifted her off her feet slightly, his body thrummed against hers with adrenaline and joy. She finally pulled back and said nothing, just nodding aggressively, "Uh huh," was the best she could muster.

When Logan finally put her down, Veronica turned to show Piper the stone that glimmered on her left finger. It wasn't a diamond, Logan wasn't that dense. It was an amethyst so pale blue it was almost white, set in a swirl of gold and crystal. Nothing opulent, small and practical, a design that suited her eclectic personality. In short, Logan had chosen something that was Veronica to put on her finger, nothing else. It was him taking her as she was and the ring was just a reminder.

But Piper wasn't standing at the top of the ramp anymore, she was walking towards the metal detectors with Piz. Veronica glanced at their hands, intertwined, and smiled softly.


	23. Epilogue

**Author's Note:**I warned you, sucker for happy endings! I'm really happy with the comments everyone's left me about the ending chapter so far. My hope especially was for Piper to be likeable, I'm really stoked I succeeded. An epilogue was totally necessary. Maybe a sequel, I've actually actively thought about it recently more than a series of one-shots.

**Epilogue**

**Six months later...**

Piper wrung her hair out into a towel and hung it over the back of a chair at the breakfast bar. She picked up a pile of mail and started sorting through letters, noticing the voicemail light on the answering machine was blinking. Piper pushed the button and kept sifting through letters, listening to the messages play.

"_Piper, it's Marianne. I just wanted to make sure you're going to be able to make the Kane Corporation consultation, call me back!"_

The machine beeped, Piper walked into the bedroom and tossed a few letters aside. One of them was a fat envelope with a California postal stamp on it and Piper immediately broke into a wide smile. She threw herself back into the thick down comforter of the king-sized bed and tossed the other mail to the side.

"_Hey, it's me. We want to meet for drinks, call me back!_"

Piper leaned back and sighed heavily, Piz rolled his head to the side and stared at her, "Something interesting in the mail?"

"It's real mail, nothing interesting ever surfaces in this realm," she shoved her finger under the envelope and started to tear.

"_Piper!,_" It was Veronica's voice on the answering machine, "_I hope you and Piz are listening to this, it's kind of a big deal,_"

She unfolded the embossed invitation and laughed at the photograph they had chosen. Something fell out onto her lap, Piz reached over and picked it up.

"_You must have gotten our invitation by now, I hope you're looking at it! That would be awesome! Anyway, there's something special in there just for you guys. Please keep it quiet, we just to tell someone and, you know, you're Piper and Piz."_

Piz picked up the piece of paper, black and white, and held it up. Piper rested her forehead against his shoulder and gasped, "Oh! Cute!"

The sonogram was small, nothing concrete yet, but definitely a sonogram. Piz smiled warmly and handed it back to Piper. Neither of them would admit they were surprised, they would both just pretend it was normal.

"_We are so excited to see you guys. Piper, thank you for all your help with everything. I would have blown my brains out - literally, not even figuratively - if you hadn't been willing to tell me to shut up and take over. Enjoy the invitation, we'll see you guys in a couple of days. Love you both!"_

Piper and Piz had both decided they were done with the East Coast shortly after they returned to New York and Boston, respectively. When Piper had returned to New York, she had stood in front of the board and told them the truth. It was a gripping moment for her, the only moment she could recall feeling real fear about the entire situation.

Her chest had gone completely cold, her voice disembodied, her limbs gesticulating weren't her own. Honesty had done her more good than harm, quite the opposite of what she had anticipated. The Balboa County Sheriff's Department had pulled a charred, dead body they identified as Liam Fitzpatrick from the wreckage of The River Styx two days after Piz and Piper had flown out of San Diego. They had ruled it a smoke inhalation death, stating the gunshot wound wasn't fatal and was likely inflicted by someone in his crowd. The investigation into Liam's death pretty much stopped there, nobody was pushing hard for an investigation anyway and it seemed like a general sigh of relief to the Sherriff.

Molly Fitzpatrick had received an extremely generous settlement from the insurance company and purchased a new cafe location close to the pier and minus the shady back room. Danny Boyd had been arrested for assault against Logan Echolls and Veronica Mars, shortly after sent to prison for a colorful quilt of other charges associated with the Fighting Fitzpatricks.

Rodney had put up a weak fight to get her to stay in the Bureau, something about Piper had changed during her time away and Rod wasn't one hundred percent sure fighting for her reinstatement was the best decision. Piper surrendered her badge and her gun before they had reached a verdict. It was resignation, Piper had known that without having to wait for them to come back and tell her. She left her gun and badge on the long oak table and left.

Piz was waiting for her outside, arm not yet out of a sling, and he looked up when she came onto the street. She spread her hands wide and shrugged, "I'm not a federal agent anymore. I guess they frown on using their resources for personal vendettas."

"Weird," Piz made a face, "From the CSI reruns I've been watching, you would think that was pretty normal."

Piper had hidden her surprise to see him there, standing outside the doors. She had bid him goodbye at Grand Central not even forty-eight hours ago, he was supposed to be in Boston explaining himself and praying he had sick time to lay in bed and bask in a vicodin high.

He said nothing, just stared at her for a moment. It was Piper who broke, that was a surprise to them both. She rested her forehead against his and drew her arms around his neck. Piz was still one-handed and placed his only functional hand on her waist.

"Why are you here?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" he replied.

"You have a job and, I don't know, a life?" she opened her eyes and took a step back, staring at him critically.

"I have friends and a job, yeah," Piz lifted a hand and pushed her bangs behind her ear, "But I don't think that outweighs the fact that the woman I've fallen in love with lives in New York."

And so they had decided to make 'whatever this was' into a something more serious, permanent. Piper had the world open to her after leaving the FBI, it was something she hadn't expected. A security consultation firm in Los Angeles had fought for her, made her offer after offer until she relented and agreed to tour their headquarters.

It had been two months before she had decided to move to Los Angeles. It had taken that long for Piz to secure a job with a California-based radio company. They had talked about it for a while before deciding to pool their savings and move into a place together. It was a nice, large two-story town house in Culver City, Piz and Piper had both signed the lease and both decided on the move. She made good money, Piz made good money, they were comfortable.

It was close to Veronica and Logan, who had left Neptune and moved to their own house in Santa Monica. Logan had insisted they leave behind the college roommate days of Dick and finally find a good place to put their roots. Veronica had made her own phone call shortly after leaving the San Diego Airport with Logan; Rodney had persisted and pushed her to stay, but there was no point. The FBI wasn't Veronica's heart and soul anymore. She had moved on to bigger and better things, securing a position as a news blogger with a local L.A. paper. Veronica had continued moonlighting with Keith, the Private Investigator business was where her heart had always been anyway.

Veronica leaving New York had set the stage for Piper leaving, Rodney knew that before he had made the call to confirm Piper's hearing.

Since she had begun planning the wedding, Veronica had insisted Piper be involved. When Piper had finally broke out and told Veronica she and Piz were 'involved', it couldn't had been less of a surprise. Keith mentioned it and Veronica had assumed at the airport, just having to say it out loud seemed like a formality at this point. Their moving to Culver City had been too perfect to be real until the moment Piper had guilt tripped Logan into helping them unpack. Then Logan and Veronica wished they would make more friends.

Now it was here, the moment she was set to walk down the aisle. Everything had been as coordinated as possible, everything had come together in a beautiful symphony of what was to come in the future. It wasn't the getting married part Veronica was excited for, that had been something easy to swallow and easy to coordinate, it was the forever that she was excited for. It wasn't a big, fancy wedding the media had anticipated when Logan made the public announcement. This was something intimate, something more _them_.

Piz adjusted his tie and shouted, "We're going to be late and you're going to be the worst maid of honor ever!"

"Okay, okay, I'm ready. Let's hustle," Piper trotted out of the bathroom in heels and a flowy tea-length dress in some shade Veronica had called 'eggplant'. She had pinned her hair in wide waves, half up and half down, a dark purple ribbon tied in a fat bow.

He whistled at her and offered her his arm, which she took with a sarcastic eye roll. Together they climbed into Piz's Jeep Wrangler - the dirty one they had schlepped across the country during their move - and drove towards Neptune.

The vineyard Logan and Veronica had chosen was just outside Neptune, beautiful with one small cliff drop that had been cleared and sparsely decorated. It was meant to be beautiful as it was, Veronica had told Piper, and she had been very right.

Piper kissed Piz on the cheek and waved him goodbye, jogging barefoot - you can't run in heels, that's ridiculous - carrying her shoes into the bride's dressing suite. Veronica shot to her feet when Piper walked inside and the anxiety was spread all across her face.

"Oh my god, you were almost late!"

"And I'm on time, find miracles in the details, Veronica," Piper set her things down and positioned herself behind Veronica, arranging her hair in a cascade of curls that flowed down her back. She picked up the small wreath of wildflowers and placed it gently on her head.

Piper looked up when the side door opened again and Mac walked in, taking exaggerated steps into the room, "Hey Mac. You, too, were also almost late."

"Sarcasm isn't sexy, not when your best friend is sitting in a chair freaking out about the rest of her life," Veronica shot Mac a very stressed out look, "You're both terrible at time management."

Mac threw up her hands defensively, "Whoa, there, Cujo. You better reco'nize," she sat on the ottoman and started to get her feet into her shoes, "You pick a dress in a color that totally washes me out, force me to stand in front of a huge crowd, and expect me to thank you."

Veronica sighed and rubbed her forehead, "You're right, I'm being the worst right now. I'm just so stressed out."

"Everything is going to be perfect because it has to be, I'm pretty sure the three Fates have forbidden any Dischord to toss any apples into your wedding," Mac said. Piper and Veronica stared at her, "Judgement of Paris. Literally the entire cause of the Trojan War. Now, Helen, _there's_ a stressed out bride."

Piper and Veronica exchanged a look before Veronica's mouth twisted into a smile that broke into laughter. Piper shoved her shoulder gently, "See? You're fine. You look like a fairy princess. I'm sure it'll all be worth it or something else that's equally optimistic."

"Thanks for trying to uncover a bright side, even if you're attempts are questionable," Veronica adjusted the long, flowing chiffon dress. It was a shade of champagne, not white. The two straps were done in thick lace to resemble flowers, the chiffon had a similar pattern embroidered throughout dotted with small crystals.

Mac and Piper walked up on either side of her and the three of them just stared into the mirror with her. Mac reached out and squeezed Veronica's hand, Veronica tried to hide tears in her eyes when she smiled.

"Time to go," Piper said after glancing at the clock. She was suddenly nervous, not because Veronica was about to get married, but because everything was about to change again. Change made Piper anxious, Neptune's signature move had been inflicting change on all three of them for months.

Mac opened the door again and let Keith inside. He stared at her and smiled, wide and full of love, then opened his arms to embrace her, "No words," he said softly into her hair, "No words can describe this."

Piper and Mac watched them warmly. Mac, Piper, and Wallace had been Veronica's choice for a wedding party, Dick had been Logan's. Music had picked up and Piper cleared her throat loudly. Veronica looked over Keith's shoulder at her and wiped her eyes, straightening her dress out again, and took Keith's arm.

Piper opened the door and let Mac out first, Wallace was already outside waiting for her. She took his arm and plucked a small bouquet of purple calla lilies out of a shallow bucket. Wallace shared a small wave with Jackie, who pointed him out to a child and bounced a toddler on her legs. He waved at all three of them and laughed gently, looking back up the aisle at Logan and the officiant. They walked together and Piper counted to ten before stepping outside herself. Dick gestured to her dramatically and she sighed, taking his arm and picking up her lilies. She had wanted go carry a thought in her mind about how frustrating Dick was sometimes, but she couldn't. Likewise, Dick had tried to think of something to do to annoy her, but came up empty handed.

Logan stood at the end of the aisle, suited up with a small white rosebud pinned to his lapel. Piper shared a brief, warm smile before she glanced into the crowd and immediately caught Piz's eye. They shared a moment then, small and secret, the world wasn't in on their secret joke - whatever it was - and they basked in that moment for as long as they could.

Piper released Dick's arm and walked to stand beside Mac. Dick had stared only at her the entire walk up the aisle, he kept his eyes fixed on her even now, wondering what he did to end up with someone so incredible. Mac had sold her condo and moved into the beach house shortly after they got back from Santa Barbara.

Neither of them had known much about what happened until they got back, Logan had made it clear he didn't intend to disrupt what had turned into a picturesque week for the two of them. At first, it was awkward to be staying in the same house together, but the second morning something had clicked. Dick woke up alone and smelled coffee in the air, he got to his feel and walked groggily into the kitchen.

"I thought you weren't a morning person," he had said, wiping sleep from his eyes.

Mac looked up at him from behind her laptop and halted the spoonful of cereal headed straight to her mouth, "I prefer to think of this as really, really late last night. So late it's morning."

Dick opened his eyes again and was hit with the realization that she was there with him, she had slept next to him, she was going to be there all week with him. It made his chest swell so much he thought he would burst. After that, they decided to just do it, just move in together. Dick had the house already, Mac was slowly falling out of love with her condo, and both of them had settled into a routine by the end of that week.

Seeing Mac standing at the end of the aisle, dressed up and shifting anxiously being in front of so many people, was something he couldn't take his eyes off of.

Finally, people stood up, the music changed. Logan stood straight, he could feel his palms sweating, his heart thumped slow and hard enough he could hear it in his ears. Veronica walked around the side of the seating and into his view. If his jaw could have dropped, it would. Seeing here there, walking towards him with her dad, had seemed like a pipe dream not so long ago. Veronica didn't move so much as she seemed to float towards him on a cloud of billowing chiffon. Nobody existed, nobody else in the entire world existed but him and her, a boy and the girl he fell in love with, a man and the woman he had found again.

Veronica's breath caught in her throat and she could feel herself being sucked into Logan's universe again, gravitating towards him like a magnet constantly drawn to him. Her desire to fight the magnetic pull was gone, to fight and run had disappeared. The chapter of solo Veronica life had ended, but she knew it wasn't the end of her independence, not with Logan. This was the man who had known her from the inside out, known her stubborn independent streak and refused to let her change her spots. Now she was with him for the long haul, he was with her for the long haul.

Keith released Veronica and she took Logan's hands, whispering quietly to him, "Be honest, this is the most awesome I've ever looked."

"No," he replied with a grin, "Tomorrow morning when we're married you will."

Piper mumbled a gagging noise so they could hear it, the officiant glared at her. The ceremony was short, the kiss was passionate and the perfect ending to a very lovely day.

Piper sighed heavily and leaned back on the seat in the car as Piz drove. She had pulled her bare feet up on the seat and rested her head on her hand so she could watch him, "Do you want a fairytale ending like that?"

"What do you mean?" he asked without looking at her.

"You know," Piper shrugged, liquid confidence filled her, "like a wedding and a family and flowery professional photos and a house with a yard for a labrador."

Piz shrugged, "I hadn't really thought about it. I mean, someday I'd like kids. Not right now, but down the line sometime. Right now I just want to enjoy having a kick-ass security consultant girlfriend and a dream job within thirty minutes from the ocean."

"And Porky, don't forget him." Piper was reminding him about the beta they had purchased together. It was the closest he could talk her into getting a pet for the townhouse.

"Of course not, I could never," he was quiet for a moment, "Do you?"

"Want a fairytale?" Piper gave him a look, "I don't exactly dream of a life filled with Nissan Quests and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Maybe just one particularly awesome kid who is born knowing the entire works of Augustine and Kant, one who travels and makes a real effort to be worldly. Ultimately, I want to adopt a seventeen year old because I can't adopt a twenty year old college student."

They laughed and listened to music playing softly until they got home. Piz kicked off his shoes while Piper pulled the dress over her head and liberated a long t-shirt from his side of the walk-in closet. Piz was already under the covers, arm waiting for her to lay down and Netflix pulled up on the wall-mounted TV.

Piper lay down against his arm and curled into his chest, "I'd say yes if you asked me," she admitted sleepily.

"I'm betting on that, actually." But she was asleep already.

Veronica sighed heavily and fell backwards onto the large king-sized bed of their hotel room. She bounced slightly as Logan did the same beside her, turning to look at him, "We did it."

"We never have to taste another cake or listen to another terrible DJ demo again," Logan lifted his hand and she placed hers in his. He stared at her rings, "Does it feel like a colossal mistake yet?"

"Not yet, but we'll get there."


End file.
